Healy v. James

Students at Central Connecticut State College (plaintiffs) tried to form a local chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) amid a period of widespread campus unrest nationally, some of it tied to SDS chapters elsewhere. College president Dr. James (defendant) denied the local chapter official recognition, which barred it from using campus facilities, bulletin boards, or the school newspaper, citing concerns the group might promote disruption and destruction of academic freedoms. The local students indicated they were independent from, and shared only some views with, the national SDS organization, though they were ambiguous about whether they would ever engage in disruptive conduct or resist following school rules. The district court ruled for President James, the court of appeals affirmed on other grounds, and the Supreme Court granted certiorari.