Penn State officials sued for rejecting Richard Spencer talk

Georgia university student organizing a tour of campuses by Spencer is seeking damages and an injunction

HARRISBURG, PA. » A man whose request to rent space at Penn State for an appearance by white nationalist Richard Spencer was turned down sued university officials on Thursday, claiming his free speech rights were violated.

The federal lawsuit by Cameron Padgett, a Georgia university student organizing a tour of campuses by Spencer, sought damages and an injunction to force Penn State to rent him a conference room or lecture hall.

The filing was made the same day as a planned speech by Spencer at the University of Florida, where officials prepared a large police and security response.

Padgett said Penn State President Eric Barron and the school’s board of trustees have no reason to think Spencer and his supporters will engage in offensive criminal misconduct or advocate for it.

Jordan Rushie, Padgett’s lawyer, said a public university can’t ban a speaker based on the content of his speech. He said an application for an injunction will follow the lawsuit.

A Penn State spokeswoman declined comment, pointing to an August statement in which Barron denied Padgett’s request , citing concerns that a talk by Spencer could result in “disruption and violence.”

“Penn State is an institution of higher education, and fully supports the right of free speech and encourages its expression in thoughtful and respectful ways, even when we strongly disagree with the opinions expressed,” Barron said in August. “But the First Amendment does not require our university to risk imminent violence.”