Students appeal Hosty v. Carter to Supreme Court

Governors State University student journalists asked the Supreme Court on Sept. 16 to hear an appeal to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling of Hosty v. Carter.

In the decision, the court said that college administrators could have the same ability to censor college publications as high school administrators have to censor high school publications. In the 7-4 decision, the court, which has jurisdiction over Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, ruled against students Margaret Hosty, Jeni Porche and Steven Barba. In 2001, the three sued Governors State University for censorship after claiming GSU Dean Patricia Carter told the newspaper’s printer to cease printing The Innovator, the student publication, unless it had been approved by a school official first.

Illinois State University newspaper a public forum

The Illinois State University Daily Vidette was designated a public forum in response to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in Hosty v. Carter.

ISU President Al Bowman announced the decision on Sept. 15 in response to calls for colleges in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin to designate college newspapers as public forums.

The public forum allows for the highest form of First Amendment protection, including the right to make all content decisions and the authority to do so without advanced administrative approval.

The ISU Daily Vidette is the first newspaper to be designated as a public forum after the court’s ruling.

National Newspaper Week starts on Oct. 2

“Your Newspaper: Your Community’s Town Hall” is the theme of National Newspaper Week this year. The week, which will be held from Oct. 2 to 8, is a celebration showcasing the impact of newspapers on the everyday lives of our citizens. Each year the Newspaper Association Managers from across the country create the materials for National Newspaper Week.

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