Medical student sues New Mexico University for ‘censoring Facebook post’

Student says he was only exercising his 'First Amendment rights of political speech'

(Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

A medical student in the US is suing his university which allegedly threatened to expel him over a Facebook post unless he changed it.

Paul Hunt, who is studying medicine at the University of New Mexico (UNM) in Albuquerque, reportedly posted a lengthy statement onto the social media site in 2012 in which he criticised abortion and President Barack Obama’s reelection.

According to local news site KOAT 7, in the lawsuit filed last week, Mr Hunt claims his free speech rights were violated after the university ordered him to either rewrite the post or leave the school.

He also claims he was forced to write an essay on “public expression of political beliefs by physicians,” reports The Daily Beast, which adds that the student claims his academic record and employment prospects have now been damaged.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that part of his Facebook post read: “To all of you who support the Democratic candidates...Your party and your candidates parade their depraved belief in legal child murder around with pride.

“You’re WORSE than the Germans during WW2.”

He also allegedly hit out at Obama supporters whom, The Daily Beast says, he called “sick, disgusting people.”

Legal representatives for the university, though, claim the student was in violation of the institution’s social media policies, adding that he was given “due process to address the complaints,” reports KOAT 7.

In part, the university’s social media guidelines state that all faculty, staff, and students should respect their peers and “refrain from publishing content that contains slurs, personal insults, or attacks, and/or profanity or obscenity.”

However, Mr Hunt’s lawsuit has argued that he didn’t breach the school’s policies and was, in fact, exercising his First Amendment rights of political speech, reports the Albuquerque Journal.

Speaking with The Daily Beast, the student’s lawyer, Jeffrey Baker, described how he understands that UNM is trying to “promote civility” and “respectful dialogue.” However, Mr Baker argued it is difficult to punish profanity.

He told the site: “If somebody’s screaming profanity at a professor in the middle of a class, that’s one thing. If somebody’s screaming profanity during a football game, that’s something quite different.”

KOAT 7 reports that the student is suing the school for an unspecified amount in damages.

The Independent has contacted UNM for a response to the lawsuit.