Students For Justice In Palestine Battle Roiling Fordham Campus

July 26, 2017
Jewish Week

Students at Fordham University are suing the university saying it’s violating its own laws and procedures by not allowing them to register a Students for Justice in Palestine club at the school’s Lincoln Center campus. The student government body initially approved the club, a decision which was subsequently overturned by Dean of Students Keith Eldredge in a move that critics say is “unprecedented.”

The students, represented by Palestine Legal, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and cooperating counsel Alan Levine, filed the lawsuit on April 26. The university responded to the suit last month with a motion to dismiss, to which the plaintiff issued a response. The case is expected to proceed to a hearing before the New York State Supreme Court.

“Fordham’s decision to deny SJP official recognition is a flagrant violation of its own policies promising to uphold free expression,” said Ruhan Nagra, a Bertha Legal Fellow at the Center for Constitutional Rights who is working on the case. “The evidence suggests that it’s unprecedented for the dean of students to veto a decision that the student government has made to approve a club.”

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Last modified 

July 27, 2017