Justice Dept supports student in California free speech case

WASHINGTON – The Justice Department is expressing support for a California college student who is challenging the constitutionality of a so-called “free speech zone” on his campus.

The department on Tuesday filed a statement of interest in the case of Kevin Shaw, who sued Pierce College in Los Angeles. Shaw says administrators barred him from distributing Spanish-language copies of the U.S. constitution outside of a 616-square-foot area on campus.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has lamented political correctness run amok on college campuses and promised to support students who say university policies are hindering free speech. Sessions says university officials and faculty must defend free expression “boldly and unequivocally.”

The department last month offered support for a Georgia college student who says he was wrongly prevented from preaching outside certain areas of campus.