PITTSBURGH — Today, a federal district court in Pittsburgh will hear arguments in a free speech lawsuit challenging the suspension by the University of Pittsburgh of the campus club, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP-Pitt). The suspension was over SJP-Pitt’s peaceful library study-in last December during finals period, and an open letter they organized with more than 70 other university-affiliated clubs and community organizations to protest Pitt’s ongoing harassment of the group.
The ACLU of Pennsylvania argues that both the non-disruptive library protest and the open advocacy letter are free speech protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Today’s hearing will be on SJP-Pitt’s request for a preliminary injunction to end their suspension as soon as possible so they can resume on-campus recruitment of new members and their advocacy for the Palestinian people.
The arguments will be heard by Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
WHEN: Thursday, August 28, 2025, at 10 a.m.
WHERE: Joseph F. Weis, Jr. U.S. Courthouse, 700 Grant Street, Pittsburgh, PA, Judge Ranjan
WHO: Witold Walczak, ACLU-PA legal director; Solomon Furious Worlds, ACLU-PA staff attorney
More information about the case is available at aclupa.org/cases/sjp-pitt.
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