- Leonard Law
The Leonard Law is a
California law passed in1992 that applies the First Amendment to theUnited States Constitution to privatecollege s and universities. The law also applies Article I, Section 2 of theCalifornia Constitution to private colleges and universities. California is the only state to grant First Amendment protections to students at private postsecondary institutions. Attempts at a federal Leonard Law and for Leonard Laws in other states have not succeeded.About
Republican State Senator
Bill Leonard wrote the law to require private colleges and universities to protect their students' rights tofreedom of speech "and othercommunication " that thegovernment is required to protect for all of itscitizen s. Under the terms of the law, students may file civillawsuit s to seek injunctive anddeclaratory relief against their institutions; students may also recover anyattorney's fee s related to the case.Lawsuits
On
May 2 1994 ,Stanford Law School studentRobert J. Corry and eight otherStanford University students filed the first lawsuit under the Leonard Law, claiming that Stanford'sspeech code violated the law. OnFebruary 27 1995 , Santa Clara CountySuperior Court Judge Peter G. Stone issued the ruling in "Corry v. Stanford " that struck down the speech code as a violation of the Leonard Law.ee also
*
Student rights
*Student activism External links
* [http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=edc&group=94001-95000&file=94367 California Education Code § 94367 (Leonard Law)]
* [http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/.const/.article_1 Article I of the California Constitution]
* [http://www.ithaca.edu/faculty/cduncan/265/corryvstanford.htm Text of Decision in "Corry v. Stanford"]
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