BERKELEY — A student group at UC Berkeley that focuses on “pro-liberty” filed a federal lawsuit Monday after the university allegedly refused to recognize them as a campus organization.

The Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) chapter filed the lawsuit with the Oakland division of the U.S. District Court and names UC President Janet Napolitano, UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ, and Stephen Sutton, interim Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, among others. The lawsuit claims that by refusing to recognize the local chapter, it is a violation of the members’ First Amendment rights.

The lawsuit alleges that UC Berkeley officials said that the YAL is too similar to an existing group, Cal Libertarians, a student group who “want(s) to get overly intrusive government out of our lives,” according to their website.

YAL, however, states that it is a group of students at Berkeley who “share a mutual love for freedom and the natural rights of life, liberty, and property.” They are not political, partisan and its members span a broad spectrum of political identities, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit points out that the school has approved other student groups in the past that seem similar, such as the Cal Berkeley Democrats and Students for Hillary at Berkeley.

“This discretion to discriminate is anathema to the First Amendment, and the marginalization of Young Americans for Liberty’s minority viewpoint not only offends the Constitution, it undermines the core of the University’s role in promoting the free exchange of ideas in the search for truth,” the lawsuit states.

But the university states that it did not make a decision based on the student group’s political perspectives or beliefs as UC policy doesn’t allow that. In fact, the Berkeley Conservative Society was just recently formed, said Dan Mogulof, assistant vice chancellor of the office of communication and public affairs.

“It has never happened in the past, and will never happen in the future,” Mogulof said.

He said that the YAL chapter did not complete its registration process.

“The YAL’s initial application was very similar to an existing Libertarian organization. However, they are still able to register and be recognized. All they need to do is confer with the Libertarian organization and decide if they want to combine or remain separate,” he said in a statement.

Registered student organizations on campus are required to provide a “statement of uniqueness” when they register, specifying how the proposed organization is different from other existing groups, and how they believe it will have a positive impact on campus.

Not being recognized by the university means the student group cannot reserve space for events on campus, invite speakers, or access funds students typically reserved for student organizations, that students pay into with fees.

“It is absurd to think that other Berkeley groups are lighting the campus on fire and throwing rocks through windows, but YAL’s efforts to peaceably promote the message of liberty are being shunned by university administrators,” Young Americans for Liberty President Cliff Maloney said in a statement.

Maloney said this is why the organization started its “Fight for Free Speech” campaign. “All students, regardless of ideology, should be guaranteed their First Amendment right to free speech,” he said.

The student group is being represented with help from the Alliance Defending Freedom, a nonprofit legal organization and by Fresno-based attorney Michael L. Renberg.