On Sept. 17 the Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the University of Maryland for canceling a scheduled vigil to be held on Oct. 7. The planned vigil was co-sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and would take place at the university’s McKeldin Mall. The suit was filed on behalf of the university chapter of SJP and argues that the university is attempting to censor the students. Tori Porell, one of the attorneys for the students issued a news release stating, “It is the job of universities to seek out, not censor, robust debate on pressing social issues,” according to the Washington Post. “The University of Maryland cannot ignore the Constitution to censor Palestinian and Jewish students, simply because anti-Palestinian groups complain,” Porell continued. “The First Amendment does not allow campus officials to establish free expression-black-out days, even on occasions that may be emotional or politically polarizing,” the suit states.
University President Darryll Pines acknowledged that he has taken many calls for him to cancel the event and issued a message on Sept. 1 that the only campus events that would be allowed on Oct. 7 would be those that promote “reflection.”