Merkey v. Board of Regents of State of Florida

344 F. Supp. 1296, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12809
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Florida
DecidedJuly 11, 1972
DocketCiv. A. 1598
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 344 F. Supp. 1296 (Merkey v. Board of Regents of State of Florida) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Merkey v. Board of Regents of State of Florida, 344 F. Supp. 1296, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12809 (N.D. Fla. 1972).

Opinion

*1298 MEMORANDUM-ORDER PRELIMINARY STATEMENT OF THE ACTION

MIDDLEBROOKS, District Judge.

On February 22, 1972, following dismissal of the original complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief could be granted, 1 plaintiffs filed an amended complaint for declaratory and injunctive relief, seeking, inter alia, an order directing defendants to “issue the necessary permits, orders, or authorizations to secure the recognition of Young Socialist Alliance as a recognized and approved student organization at Florida State University to be treated on an equal basis with all the rights, privileges, opportunities and benefits which are provided to other campus organizations so recognized.” Plaintiffs also maintained that this action should proceed as a class action as provided by Rule 23, Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Specifically, plaintiffs allege that the actions of defendants in denying recognition to plaintiff, Young Socialist Alliance, have denied plaintiffs certain First Amendment rights and rights of procedural due process and equal protection under the law. Plaintiffs further allege that all administrative and procedural steps were followed by them in connection with securing campus recognition for their political organization and that defendants acted arbitrarily and without procedural due process in denying campus recognition to the organization. In sum, plaintiffs complain that defendants exercised state authority to stifle activities protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and that the state action taken is inconsistent with the guarantees of the First, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution.

Defendants by answer denied the allegations that plaintiffs were deprived of anj/ federal constitutional rights and further denied that plaintiffs had standing to bring this action to obtain recognition by and approval of defendants in order to function as a campus organization. It was also denied that any actions by defendants in denying recognition to plaintiffs were tainted by any constitutional infirmity.

As gleaned from the pleadings, stipulations and trial memoranda of the parties, the issues for determination in this proceeding may be stated as follows:

I
Whether the denial of campus recognition to plaintiff organization violated plaintiffs’ rights of freedom of speech, expression and association as guaranteed under the United States Constitution.
II
Whether actions of defendants in denying campus recognition to plaintiff organization violated plaintiffs’ Fourteenth Amendment rights by denying them equal application and benefit of the laws and regulations applicable to other persons and organizations seeking recognition on campuses in the state university system of the State of Florida and coerced plaintiffs into a conformity of political beliefs and associations that are prescribed and approved by defendants.
III
Whether there was a sufficient basis in fact for defendants’ denial of campus recognition for the Young Socialist Alliance.

Having heard testimony, having received evidence, having considered plead *1299 ings, affidavits and pre-trial stipulations of the parties, and having judged the demeanor of witnesses testifying and having resolved the credibility choices to be made, this Court enters the following findings of fact and conclusions of law in conformity with Rule 52(a), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure:

FINDINGS OF FACT

(1) On or about March 3, 1970, plaintiff, Young Socialist Alliance, by and through plaintiff Merkey, applied to Florida State University for recognition as a campus organization. The policies of the State of Florida Board of Regents, published by the university in its student handbook, provide in Section 7.-41 that “student organizations may be officially recognized by the university when approved by student governments or appropriate student-faculty committees on campus, provided that an officially recognized organization must not have as a purpose, either in name or in fact, the advocacy of the overthrow of the government by force or by other unlawful means.” Pursuant to these regulations, application for recognition was made by plaintiff Merkey and one other applicant, Lieberman, on a form adopted by the University Office of Personnel Records, and specifying the name of the organization, date of application, officers of the organization, faculty consultant, basis of membership, classification of group (by professional, honorary, departmental, religious or other classification), local or national affiliation, purpose of the organization, activities for which the organization is responsible, means of financial support of the organization and date of organization.

(2) At the time application was made, plaintiff Merkey was not a student at the Florida State University but was serving on the staff of the university as an employee. The other named applicant, Lieberman, was at the time application was made, a student at the university but at present is no longer a student in good standing at the university. Presently, plaintiff organization is comprised of both students and non-students. None of the individual plaintiffs to this action are students at the Florida State University.

(3) The application for recognition was tentatively approved by the student senate and ultimately considered by the Florida State University Vice-President for Student Affairs. On March 6, 1970, D. Burke Kibler, III, then Chairman of defendant Board of Regents, issued a letter to the President of the University of Florida, a state university in the State of Florida university system, as is defendant Florida State University, concluding, on the basis of evidence possessed by Chairman Kibler, that the Young Socialist Alliance could not have the sanction of a state university in the State of Florida. The Florida State University Vice-President corresponded with defendant Board of Regents regarding the application of Chairman Kibler’s letter relative to recognition of the Young Socialist Alliance, to other universities in the state university system, including the Florida State University. On March 27, 1970, in response to this inquiry, the university Vice-President was informed that the Kibler letter was intended to apply to all universities in the state university system and further that this conclusion was reached after considerable research and discussion with individuals aware of the Young Socialist Alliance’s objectives. On the basis of this communication from the Board of Regents, the university Vice-President notified student government and the Young Socialist Alliance that the latter could not be recognized as a student organization at the Florida State University in light of the decision of the Board of Regents set forth in the aforementioned letters dated March 6, 1970, and March 27, 1970.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
344 F. Supp. 1296, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12809, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/merkey-v-board-of-regents-of-state-of-florida-flnd-1972.