Identity of Speakers
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Students for Justice in Palestine at Pitt (SJP-Pitt),
Faculty/Staff
OtherUniv. of Pittsburgh Chapter of student-led organization that advocates for Palestinian rights and raises awareness about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on college campuses.
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Rally or protest
Lawsuit
Other
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Student sanctioned
Rally or Protests
Litigation
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Incident Status:
In litigation Federal District Court
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
In December 2024, Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Pittsburgh (SJP Pitt) held a “silent study-in” protest at Hillman Library, displaying Palestinian flags and anti-Israel messages. University officials later cited procedural violations, including improper communication with the conduct board.
On March 5, 2025, the university placed SJP Pitt on indefinite interim suspension. On March 22, members of the group and other pro-Palestinian students staged a campus march in defiance of the suspension.
On April 15, 2025, the ACLU of Pennsylvania filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of SJP Pitt, claiming the suspension was retaliatory and violated First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The complaint noted the suspension followed an open letter by SJP Pitt criticizing activity restrictions, endorsed by more than 70 campus and community groups.
On August 28, 2025, U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan lifted the suspension, ruling that the university’s conduct rules were overly broad and infringed on students’ free speech and association rights. The ruling emphasized the harm caused by restricting SJP Pitt’s campus activities, including recruitment and events.
