Identity of Speakers
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Plaintiffs
Student
OtherThe plaintiffs consist of students, recent graduates, and community members who participated in pro-Palestinian protests and were subsequently issued broad campus-wide bans restricting their access to university property.
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Rally or protest
Lawsuit
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Faculty sanctioned
Student sanctioned
Staff Sanctioned
Rally or Protests
Campus police
Other Law Enforcement
Litigation
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Incident Status:
In litigation Federal District Court
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
In February 2025, the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit against the University of Michigan on behalf of five individuals who were issued broad trespass bans from university property after participating in pro-Palestinian protests. The plaintiffs—students, recent graduates, and a hospital employee—were barred from accessing most university spaces, including libraries, workplaces, and campus facilities, with only narrow exceptions for attending class or receiving medical care. The ACLU contends that the bans were issued without notice, hearings, or a way to appeal, in violation of the First Amendment’s protection of free speech and the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of due process.
The complaint argues that the university used trespass warnings as a punitive and suppressive tool to deter political expression, despite the absence of any immediate threat or misconduct by the individuals. Some bans lasted more than a year, and plaintiffs reported serious disruptions to their education, work, and community involvement.
