Identity of Speakers
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Martin Samimiat
Student
OtherStudent at Golden West College
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Annaliese Hutchings
Student
OtherStudent at Golden West College
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Rally or protest
Lawsuit
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Incident Political Orientation:
Right wing -
Incident Responses:
Student sanctioned
University administration invoked formal speech code in response
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Incident Status:
In litigation Federal District Court
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
In May 2025, students Matin Samimiat and Annaliese Hutchings, along with Young America’s Foundation, filed a federal lawsuit against Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California. The lawsuit alleges that the college’s disciplinary policies are vague and overbroad, particularly in enforcing rules against so-called hateful behavior, and that these policies discriminate based on viewpoint and suppress free speech.
The dispute began in February 2025 when Samimiat and Hutchings set up a booth at the campus Club Expo displaying statements such as “illegal immigration is a cancer upon any society” and “Hamas is a terrorist organization and must be wiped from the face of the earth.” After complaints from other students, the college’s
Director of Student Life, Stephanie Smallshaw, met with them in March 2025 and warned that their statements could be considered harmful and offensive, potentially resulting in disciplinary action.
The lawsuit seeks declaratory relief and an injunction to prevent the college from enforcing its speech policies as currently written.
