Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System v. Southworth
United States Supreme Court
529 U.S. 217 (2000)
Southworth and two other University of Wisconsin law students (plaintiffs) objected to portions of their mandatory student fee funding political and ideological student groups they disagreed with, including multicultural, environmental, and LGBT organizations, and sued the Board of Regents (defendant) claiming the mandatory fee violated their First Amendment rights. The district court granted Southworth summary judgment, the court of appeals denied further review, and the university sought certiorari.
Whether a public university may impose a mandatory student activity fee to subsidize student groups without violating the First Amendment rights of students who object to particular groups' viewpoints.