New College activist group drops federal academic freedom lawsuit over state law

An activist group vocal in its opposition to ongoing changes at New College of Florida dropped a federal lawsuit against the state’s board of governors claiming First Amendment and academic freedom violations, according to the college and the plaintiffs.

NCF Freedom, a group of alumni and activists formed in response to the conservative transformation of New College spearheaded by Gov. Ron DeSantis, filed the suit because of Senate Bill 266. The sweeping higher education bill, which the governor signed on New College’s campus last year, made headlines for prohibiting funding to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Florida universities.

NCF Freedom claimed the bill created “a chill on free speech on the New College campus … by censoring the teaching of certain ‘disfavored’ topics and by prohibiting them outright.”

Jono Miller, the president of NCF Freedom, said the organization filed the voluntary dismissal because of questions about whether it had standing to sue. The group could “reactivate” the lawsuit if they felt there were any more actions taken by New College’s administration that violated the First Amendment, he said.

“We're not really conceding anything, we're just acknowledging the fact that the court didn’t feel that their behavior was extreme enough,” Miller said.

The group had sought a temporary injunction on the law, but was denied by the court in November.

"We are crossing the Rubicon," said New College President Richard Corcoran. "New College of Florida is making significant progress toward becoming the top liberal arts college in the nation. It is time to put this lawsuit behind us and come together to realize the immense potential of New College as a thriving educational institution."

Corcoran has led the school through a conservative overhaul launched by DeSantis' selection of a new board majority to recreate the school in a classical image akin to the conservative, Christian Hillsdale College in Michigan.

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: New College-connected federal academic freedom lawsuit paused