We covered this story back in January and we’re happy to see free speech defended, thanks to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

The FIRE blog reports:

VICTORY: Student detained for passing out political flyers settles lawsuit with Illinois college

Student Ivette Salazar and Joliet Junior College agreed today to settle Salazar’s First Amendment lawsuit against the Illinois college after she was detained for handing out political flyers. Salazar’s suit, filed Jan. 11, prompted policy changes that will protect the speech rights of the more than 38,000 JJC students.

Salazar was detained in November 2017 for distributing flyers from the Party for Socialism and Liberation that read “Shut Down Capitalism.” She was reported by campus staff, detained and interrogated by JJC police, and told she could not distribute her flyers without the college’s permission. The lawsuit against the public college was brought as part of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s Million Voices Campaign, which aims to free the voices of one million students by striking down unconstitutional speech codes nationwide.

“Thanks to Ivette, students at Joliet Junior College can peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights without having to fear being interrogated by campus police,” said Marieke Tuthill Beck-Coon, FIRE’s director of litigation. “We hope this case serves as an example to public colleges across the country, and we commend JJC for acting quickly to restore free speech on its campus.”…

JJC’s new policy allows for expressive activity throughout the college, constrained only by new, constitutional time, place, and manner regulations. As part of the settlement, JJC also agreed to pay Salazar $30,000 in damages and attorneys’ fees, and to provide training to its staff and campus police on the new policies and procedures.