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CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOC. CHAPTER OF UNIV. OF CAL., 
HASTINGS COLLEGE OF LAW v. MARTINEZ 
ALITO, J., dissenting 

dependent upon each issue.’ ”  Id., at 172–173.  They simi-
larly  refused  to  provide  a  definitive  answer  when  asked 
whether they would be willing to “use any means possible” 
to  achieve  their  aims.  Id.,  at  173.  The  president  of  the
college  refused  to  allow  the  group  to  be  recognized,  con-
cluding that the philosophy of the SDS was “antithetical to 
the  school’s  policies”  and  that  it  was  doubtful  that  the 
local  chapter  was  independent  of  the  national  organiza-
tion,  the  “ ‘published  aims  and  philosophy’ ”  of  which  in-
cluded  “ ‘disruption  and  violence.’ ”    Id.,  at  174–175,  and 
n. 4. 

The  effects  of  nonrecognition  in  Healy  were  largely  the 
same as those present here.  The SDS was denied the use 
of  campus  facilities,  as  well  as  access  to  the  customary 
means used for communication among the members of the
college community.  Id., at 176, 181–182. 

The lower federal courts held that the First Amendment 
rights of the SDS chapter had not been violated, and when 
the case reached this Court, the college, much like today’s
majority, sought to minimize the effects of nonrecognition, 
arguing that the SDS members “still may meet as a group 
off campus, that they still may distribute written material
off  campus,  and  that  they  still  may  meet  together  infor-
mally on campus . . . as individuals.”  Id., at 182–183. 

This  Court  took  a  different  view.   The  Court  held  that 
the  denial  of  recognition  substantially  burdened  the  stu-
dents’ right to freedom of association.  After observing that
“[t]he primary impediment to free association flowing from 
nonrecognition is the denial of use of campus facilities for 
meetings and other appropriate purposes,” id., at 181, the 
Court continued: 

  “Petitioners’  associational  interests  also  were  cir-
cumscribed by the denial of the use of campus bulletin 
boards  and  the  school  newspaper.    If  an  organization
is to remain a viable entity in a campus community in