ROCK FOR LIFE-UMBC v. Hrabowski

594 F. Supp. 2d 598, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6625, 2009 WL 187936
CourtDistrict Court, D. Maryland
DecidedJanuary 26, 2009
DocketCivil JFM 08-0811
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 594 F. Supp. 2d 598 (ROCK FOR LIFE-UMBC v. Hrabowski) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
ROCK FOR LIFE-UMBC v. Hrabowski, 594 F. Supp. 2d 598, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6625, 2009 WL 187936 (D. Md. 2009).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

J. FREDERICK MOTZ, District Judge.

Plaintiffs Rock for Life-UMBC (“Rock for Life”), Olivia Ricker, and Miguel Mendez have filed suit against the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (“UMBC”) and several UMBC officials alleging violations of their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Plaintiffs challenge the constitutionality of a number of UMBC’s former and current policies. De *601 fendants contest Plaintiffs’ ability to bring their claims due to issues of standing and mootness. Now pending is Defendants’ motion for judgment on the pleadings. 1

The issues have been fully briefed and no hearing is deemed necessary. Local Rule 105.6 (D.Md. 2008). For the reasons stated below, Defendants’ motion is granted in part and denied in part.

I. Facts

For purposes of this motion, “[t]he factual allegations in Plaintiff[s’] complaint must be accepted as true and those facts must be construed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff[s].” Edwards v. City of Goldsboro, 178 F.3d 231, 244 (4th Cir.1999). Plaintiff Rock for Life is an unincorporated association and registered student organization at UMBC. 2 (Am. Compl. ¶ 6.) Rock for Life’s self-declared mission is “to defend the rights of the unborn and to awake consciousness and awareness in the UMBC community about the catastrophic effects of abortion for all persons involved and our moral duty to stop its practice.” (Id.) Plaintiffs bring suit against various officials of UMBC 3 in both *602 their individual and official capacities. 4 (Am. Compl. ¶¶ 9-16.)

This lawsuit arises out of Rock for Life’s decision to set up a poster display on UMBC’s campus. The poster display, designed as part of a pro-life advocacy program known as the Genocide Awareness Project (“GAP”), is distributed by an organization called the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform. {Id. ¶¶ 58-60.) The GAP is

a traveling photo-mural exhibit which compares the contemporary genocide of abortion to historically recognized forms of genocide. It visits university campuses around the country to show as many students as possible what abortion actually does to unborn children and get them to think about abortion in a broader historical context.

(Id. Ex. P.) The GAP display is made up of twenty-four signs measuring four feet by eight feet in size. (Am. Compl. ¶ 78.)

In March 2007, Rock for Life — with the support of Leif Parsell, a representative of the Leadership Institute, a conservative advocacy organization — began planning to bring the GAP to UMBC. {Id. ¶ 64.) Rock for Life met with a UMBC employee in the Office of Student Life to request use of the space “directly in front of the University Center” in order “to maximize the number of students and faculty who would see the display.” {Id. ¶ 65.) Rock for Life was informed that this space was available, and reserved the space for April 30, 2007. {Id. ¶ 66.) At the same time, Rock for Life was informed that, “due to the nature of the GAP display,” Rock for Life would be required to have security at the event. {Id. ¶ 67.) Rock for Life was told by the UMBC police department that the “content of the GAP display’s signs” necessitated a “uniformed officer rather than a student marshal,” {id. ¶ 68) and that Rock for Life would be responsible for the $50.00 per hour fees associated with this level of security. 5 {Id. ¶ 69.) In response to this news, Rock for Life, through its legal counsel, submitted a letter which stated that UMBC could not constitutionally charge Rock for Life for the cost of security. (Am. Compl. Ex. T.)

Shortly thereafter, Parsell, on behalf of Rock for Life, met with Chris Tkacik, UMBC’s University Counsel. At that meeting, Tkacik “expressed concern that students would feel ‘emotionally harassed’ due to the GAP display and indicated that UMBC had the right to prevent such feelings.” (Am. Compl. Ex. N ¶ 13.) Tkacik stated that while UMBC was a public university, it had the authority to move events without notice. (Am. Compl. ¶ 72; see also id. Ex. N ¶ 13.) Tkacik also stated that the GAP display should be moved from the space in front of the University Center to the patio of the Commons, which Parsell accepted as a suitable alternative since the patio was also a high-traffic area. 6 (Am. Compl. Ex. N ¶ 14.)

*603 Around this time, UMBC’s Associate Director of Student Life, defendant Lee Cali-zo, announced that Rock for Life did not need security at the event. (Am. Compl. ¶ 75.) The UMBC Police Department did not, however, change their security recommendation. (Id.) Plaintiffs also allege that Calizo decided to move the GAP display to the patio area of the Commons with the justification that “the original location posed a fire hazard because the large signs might obstruct the exits of the surrounding buildings.” (Id. ¶ 76.) Rock for Life challenges this rationale, explaining that the signs “were not going to be placed in front of the exits.” (Id. ¶ 78.)

When Rock for Life began setting up the GAP display on the patio the day of the planned event, April 30, 2007, defendant Eric Engler, Director of the Commons, approached with several uniformed police officers. (Id. ¶ 81.) Engler informed Rock for Life that defendant Charles Fey, UMBC’s Vice President of Student Affairs, had decided the previous Friday “that the [GAP] display had to be moved yet again to the large vacant field behind the Commons.” (Id. ¶ 81-82.) According to Rock for Life,

[t]he part of the field on the north side of the Commons where Rock for Life[ ] was ordered to set up the GAP display was well away from the sidewalks where students occasionally passed by.... Due to the much lower level of foot traffic through this area, the move substantially impaired Rock for Life[’s] ability to confront students and faculty with its message....

(Id. ¶ 84, 85.) After approximately two hours, Rock for Life was permitted to move its display “closer to the north side of the Commons so as to be closer to the sidewalks where students occasionally passed, but it was never allowed to move to the patio area of the Commons.” (Id. ¶ 88.) The day ended without further incident.

In November 2007, Rock for Life began plans for a second GAP display. (Id. ¶ 91.) Rock for Life asked UMBC for permission to set up the display on the patio area of the Commons, believing that their first choice site, the aforementioned space in front of the University Center, would be denied to them.

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Related

Ross Abbott v. Harris Pastides
900 F.3d 160 (Fourth Circuit, 2018)
Rock for Life-UMBC v. Hrabowski
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Rock for Life-Umbc v. Hrabowski
643 F. Supp. 2d 729 (D. Maryland, 2009)

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Bluebook (online)
594 F. Supp. 2d 598, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6625, 2009 WL 187936, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rock-for-life-umbc-v-hrabowski-mdd-2009.