A California judge grants college students a “big win” in a free speech lawsuit against the school for censoring anti-Communist leaflets, a lawyer says

On Oct. 14, a California judge ordered an injunction preventing a community college from censoring student flyers on campus after a group of students filed a lawsuit against school officials alleging discrimination college fix reported.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression submitted legal action against Clovis Community College in Fresno, California August on behalf of three students involved in the school’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter.

The lawsuit alleged that the students were discriminated against when Clovis President Dr. Lori Bennett ordered the removal of anti-Communist leaflets they had distributed on campus in November.

Corresponding Fox News Digital, one of the flyers featured images of skulls and bones and read, “Leftist ideas: ‘Progress’ that always leads to death.” In addition, the flyer contained data on the number of people killed in countries that have fallen under “progressive social movements”.

Students were initially given permission by school officials to post the flyers on bulletin boards in campus buildings, but the flyers were removed after school officials allegedly received complaints from other students.

According to the lawsuit, “administrators of public colleges cannot ban a student group’s flyers because some found the message inappropriate or offensive.”

Last month, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston ordered an injunction, saying school officials could not prevent students from reading flyers for potentially “inappropriate or [offensive] language or issues” while the litigation continues.

“The injunction is good news for the plaintiffs (our clients) because it means that while the case is pending, Clovis cannot enforce its ban on inappropriate or offensive language towards student flyers,” said Jeff Zeman, a FIRE attorney said the College Fix.

“This is a major win for the plaintiffs. … We have also asked that the court issue a permanent restraining order at the end of the case,” Zeman added.

Plaintiff and Young Americans for Freedom chapter president Juliette Colunga told the news outlet, “The judge’s ruling on the injunction is absolutely a huge step in the right direction for us, but the fight is far from over. We will continue to stand up and fight for our freedom of speech.”

Clovis Community College did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital or College Fix.