A federal judge has ruled that Chicago State University violated a former student newspaper adviser's First Amendment rights when he was fired following articles critical of the university.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer ruled Tuesday that Steven Moore should be reinstated to his former job for at least a year but did not order any monetary relief.

Moore was hired in 2007. His duties included re-establishing the newspaper, Tempo, which hadn't been published in years. He also was executive director for communications at the public university on the city's South Side.

The university's interim president, Frank Pogue, fired him in October 2008, days after an article questioning the funding of a student-run fashion show was published, and following months of tensions between the newspaper and the administration over Tempo's coverage. The university claimed Moore was fired for writing unsatisfactory press releases.

Moore and the newspaper's former editor-in-chief, then-student George Providence II, filed the free speech lawsuit in February 2009. The lawsuit, which also claimed violation of the Illinois College Campus Press Act, went to a bench trial last year.

The judge's decision requires the university to reinstate Moore to his job as executive director and expunge negative material in his personnel records. University officials said Wednesday that they will comply with the orders.

"I am certainly pleased with the decision," said Moore, who has been doing freelance writing in Michigan. "It only adds to the body of student press law and the need to protect the student press. It protects the integrity of the student press to establish its own editorial policy in the same manner as The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune."

The judge did not order any relief for Providence, the former student.

Current Chicago State officials, who took over in fall 2009, said Wednesday that they offered Moore his job back prior to the trial.

CSU general counsel Patrick Cage called Tuesday's decision a win because the judge declined to award any monetary damages.

jscohen@tribune.com