Why Universities Can Ban Protest Tents: UVM v. SJP & The Healy Precedent

Does the First Amendment give you the right to pitch a tent on a college green indefinitely? A federal court in Vermont weighed in on the University of Vermont’s suspension of a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter - and the ruling might surprise you. Today, we’re breaking down why the court sided with the university, the viewpoint-neutral rules that every student group needs to know, and why a 1972 case called Healy v. James is still the ultimate rulebook for campus protests. This is Business Law 101.Thanks for joining me for this episode! I’m a Houston- based attorney, run an HR Consulting company called Claremont Management Group, and am a tenured professor at the University of St. Thomas. I’ve also written several non-fiction political commentary books: Bad Deal for America (2022) explores the Vegas-style corruption running rampant in Washington DC, while The Decline of America: 100 Years of Leadership Failures (2018) analyzes – and grades – the leadership qualities of the past 100 years of U.S. presidents. You can find my books on Amazon, and me on social media (Twitter @DSchein1, LinkedIn @DavidSchein, and Facebook, Instagram, & YouTube @AuthorDavidSchein). I’d love to hear from you!As always, the opinions expressed in this podcast are mine and my guests’ and not the opinions of my university, my company, or the businesses with which I am connected.Photo credits: Action 14; KurtArt; Anna Stills