The Florida State University Student Supreme Court has reinstated Jack Denton as president of the Student Senate. The Court found that Denton’s First Amendment rights were violated when he was previously ousted from the presidency.
Earlier this year, Denton was removed from his position as president after making controversial political statements—including criticizing the Black Lives Matter organization, the American Civil Liberties Union and Reclaim the Block—in a private group chat with members of the Catholic Student Union.
On Oct. 8, U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor ruled that Denton should not be reinstated but that FSU had to continue paying him for the rest of his term. Winsor said Denton’s first amendment rights were violated.
After a hearing on Oct. 19, the Student Supreme Court also found that Denton’s removal from the presidency “violated his Constitutional rights under the First Amendment” and ruled that he should be reinstated.
“We found the long-term interest in protecting the values of the First Amendment to be undeniable,” the ruling reads.
According to the ruling, if Denton were not reinstated, “The message this sends on behalf of our Student Government Association, as well as our University, is that some views are okay to share, and some are not. We refuse to uphold this sentiment in our University’s SGA.”
Denton has been represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, a national nonprofit organization focused on legal advocacy for religious freedom issues, in both his federal lawsuit and within FSU’s system.
In a statement, Tyson Langhofer, director of the Alliance Defending Freedom’s Center for Academic Freedom, said, “We commend the FSU Supreme Court for acting swiftly and decisively to reinstate Jack to his position as FSU’s Student Senate president while his federal lawsuit continues and for acknowledging the violations of his constitutionally protected right to free speech.”
“All students should be able to peacefully share their personal convictions without fear of retaliation,” he continued.
Denton’s reinstatement is effective immediately, and he will remain president of the Student Senate until he graduates in December.
Supreme Court Reinstates Jack Denton as FSU Student Senate President added by Lexie Pitzen on
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Yeah! of course its still too late to save FSU from the Woke Commie generation. Sore losers, ungrateful bastards and whiners.
First never knew there was a “Student” Supreme Court at FSU. Second, they made a better call than U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor. Well done and quite shocking in today’s psychotic, mentally ill, university cancel culture from top to bottom. Rare victory for sanity and common sense.
Wow! Good for them. Defending a person’s constitutional rights on a college campus… Maybe there’s hope after all.