Identity of Speakers
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Leadership Institute
Unaffiliated
OtherA nonprofit group that supports student organizations.
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Turning Point USA at UNM
Student
OtherA student organization at the University of New Mexico that organizes conservative speaking events.
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Other student-organized event
Other
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Incident Political Orientation:
Right wing -
Incident Responses:
Litigation
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Incident Status:
In litigation Federal District Court
Settled
- Did not involve Speech Codes
Summary
In September 2024, U.S. District Judge David Urias issued a preliminary injunction against the University of New Mexico (UNM), barring it from enforcing its security fee policy for campus speech events. This legal action followed a lawsuit by the Leadership Institute and Turning Point USA at UNM after the university attempted to charge over $5,000 in security fees for an October 2023 event featuring conservative speaker Riley Gaines. Judge Urias determined that UNM’s policy granted administrators excessive discretion, potentially leading to viewpoint discrimination, and lacked clear guidelines for fee assessments, thereby infringing upon First Amendment rights. Previously, in April 2023, UNM’s Students for Life chapter faced a similar situation when the university demanded $8,140 in security fees for an event with Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins. Despite Hawkins’ own security team being present, the university refused to waive the fees. Additionally, in the fall of 2022, UNM’s police department attempted to shut down another pro-life event just days before it was scheduled, citing resource constraints due to the event’s subject matter. These instances prompted legal challenges from Students for Life and the Alliance Defending Freedom, who argued that UNM’s actions constituted viewpoint discrimination and violated students’ constitutional rights.
