Fresno State University professor Gregory Thatcher attempts to erase a pro-life chalk message on campus.
FRESNO, California, November 16, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) — A federal court has ruled that a Fresno State university professor must pay $17,000 in damages and undergo First Amendment training.
Gregory Thatcher, a professor of public health, violated the free speech rights of students belonging to the Fresno State Students of Life club when he erased their pro-life chalk messages and recruited his students to do the same. After hearing Fresno State Students for Life v. William Gregory Thatcher, a federal court issued an order that forbids Thatcher from interfering with the student group’s free expression.
The Fresno State Students for Life were represented by attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom.
“No public university professor has the authority to silence any student speech he happens to find objectionable or to recruit other students to participate in his censorship,” said ADF legal counsel Travis Barham. “Like all government officials, professors have an obligation to respect the constitutionally protected free speech of students. Of all people, professors should be the first to encourage all students to participate in the marketplace of ideas rather than erase the
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