Judge: Administration Targeted Students' Pro-Palestinian Speech

U.S. District Judge William G. Young issued a 161-page ruling finding the Trump administration’s effort to detain, revoke visas and deport noncitizen students for pro-Palestinian speech violated the First Amendment, concluding officials including Kristi Noem and Marco Rubio “deliberately” sought to chill dissent. The suit, brought by the AAUP, the Middle East Studies Association and student groups after arrests and detentions of students including Tufts doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk and Columbia’s Mahmoud Khalil, found the government relied in part on unverified sources such as the Canary Mission database to flag targets. Young’s opinion mixes detailed legal analysis with personal commentary and unconventional tangents—some spelling and grammatical errors have drawn attention—and he warned the administration’s pattern of retribution poses a grave threat to free speech. He predicted resistance to the ruling, and the White House said it will appeal. Commentators say the decision intensifies debate over government pressure on critics and media and underscores concerns about efforts to suppress dissent.