Widmar v. Vincent, 454 U.S. 263 (1981)

Free Speech Out Loud

Legal Question: Whether a public university’s interest in maintaining a “strict separation of church and state” allows it to bar religious student groups from reserving facilities for worship.

Action: The Court held that the policy was not content-neutral, violating the student group’s First Amendment rights.

Mr. Justice Powell delivered the opinion of the Court, at 00:44

Mr. Justice Stevens, concurring, at 30:07

Mr. Justice White, dissenting, at 40:10

This opinion’s citations have been edited down for ease of listening. For more information, visit our explanation.

For more on Widmar, visit FIRE’s First Amendment Library.

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