YAF chapter appeals to have full rights restored at University at Buffalo
A conservative student group at the University at Buffalo is taking its fight for free speech to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.
The Alliance Defending Freedom is representing a Young Americans for Freedom chapter in a legal battle over the University at Buffalo's alleged attempt to stifle conservative viewpoints.
A conservative student group at the University at Buffalo (UB) is taking its fight for free speech to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.
Attorneys from the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) are representing the university’s Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) chapter and two students in a legal battle over UB’s alleged attempt to stifle conservative viewpoints by denying them the same benefits as other student organizations.
The controversy began in June 2023 when UB’s Student Association stripped YAF of its official recognition because of its affiliation with Young America’s Foundation, a national conservative organization, ADF claims.
ADF quickly filed a federal lawsuit, challenging the decision as unconstitutional. Under legal pressure, the Student Association reversed course and reinstated YAF the following month.
However, instead of restoring YAF’s full rights, the Student Association implemented a new policy demanding that student organizations sign away key legal protections, ADF says. This policy requires club leaders to waive their right to sue the university or its officials, operate as a legal entity, maintain financial accounts, or collaborate with outside organizations.
YAF refused to comply, arguing that no student group should be forced to surrender its constitutional rights to exist on campus.
Because YAF rejected these conditions, the Student Association has allegedly frozen more than $6,000 in student-fee funding for the conservative organization.
ADF attorneys recently asked a federal district court to intervene, allowing YAF to access its funds while the case proceeded. However, the court dismissed the lawsuit in December, prompting the appeal to the 2nd Circuit.
“All students, regardless of their political affiliations, should have access to generally available resources, and universities are constitutionally bound to protect these rights,” ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer said in a recent press release. “Unfortunately, the University at Buffalo and its student government are picking winners and losers in the marketplace of ideas, first by punishing the group for its national affiliation with a conservative group, then by demanding that group leaders sign away their freedoms.”
The university’s treatment of YAF stands in contrast to its handling of other student organizations, which continue to operate freely without similar restrictions, ADF says.
ADF attorneys argue that UB’s actions violate YAF’s First Amendment rights, and they are seeking a ruling that will force the university to restore full recognition and funding to the group.
Campus Reform has contacted the University at Buffalo for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.