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Nevilledog

(54,714 posts)
Thu Jan 15, 2026, 04:01 PM 20 hrs ago

Judge sounds alarm in ruling denouncing Trump's targeting student protesters

https://www.allrisenews.com/p/aaup-trump-young-justice-kkk

*snip*

Early in his ruling, Judge Young frames the case filed by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) as a uniquely significant one in his four-decade long judicial tenure

“This case—perhaps the most important ever to fall within the jurisdiction of this district court—squarely presents the issue of whether non-citizens lawfully present here in [the] United States actually have the same free speech rights as the rest of us,” Young wrote. “The Court answers this Constitutional question unequivocally ‘yes, they do.’ ‘No law’ means ‘no law.’ The First Amendment does not draw President Trump’s invidious distinction and it is not to be found in our history or jurisprudence.”

Led by Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute, the academic advocacy groups challenged the Trump government’s practice of targeting student protesters. Students like Mahmoud Khalil, Rümeysa Öztürk, Mohsen Mahdawi, and Badar Khan Suri previously sued in their individual capacities, and judges presiding over their cases have largely found that they were targeted for their political opinions.

Young’s ruling affirms that Kristi Noem, Marco Rubio and “their several agents and subordinates acted in concert to misuse the sweeping powers of their respective offices to target non-citizen pro-Palestinians for deportation primarily on account of their First Amendment protected political speech.”

“They did so in order to strike fear into similarly situated non-citizen pro-Palestinian individuals, pro-actively (and effectively) curbing lawful pro-Palestinian speech and intentionally denying such individuals (including the plaintiffs here) the freedom of speech that is their right,” the ruling’s conclusion states. “Moreover, the effect of these targeted deportation proceedings continues unconstitutionally to chill freedom of speech to this day.”

*snip*
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Judge sounds alarm in ruling denouncing Trump's targeting student protesters (Original Post) Nevilledog 20 hrs ago OP
Trump has pardons and tanks. What do you have? MadameButterfly 19 hrs ago #1
Insightful (P. #7 nails it) and well written, this is truly a great article. Thank you for posting it. ancianita 17 hrs ago #2
... Nevilledog 16 hrs ago #4
Excellent -eom vanessa_ca 17 hrs ago #3

MadameButterfly

(3,781 posts)
1. Trump has pardons and tanks. What do you have?
Thu Jan 15, 2026, 04:48 PM
19 hrs ago

Brilliant ruling. Worth reading the whole article. My favorite part is the person who sent in a post card with scrawled print saying:
"Trump has pardons and tanks. What do you have?"

The judge's response:
Dear Mr. or Ms. Anonymous,
Alone, I have nothing but my sense of duty.
Together, We the People of the United States--you and me--have our magnificent Constitution. Here's how it works out in this specific case....

ancianita

(42,977 posts)
2. Insightful (P. #7 nails it) and well written, this is truly a great article. Thank you for posting it.
Thu Jan 15, 2026, 06:54 PM
17 hrs ago
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