Opinion ID: 2634513
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: UCCSN property

Text: The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) deems its campus and facilities a non-public forum, except for certain areas expressly listed, which are open to the public for First Amendment activities. The designated areas include the academic malls and alumni walk, and are designed to reach approximately seventy-five percent of the students, faculty, and staff on campus on any given day. The policy requires notification to the University Public Affairs Office by anyone intending to use the premises for expressive activities. UNLV also has a form seeking the requestor's name and contact information, which the requestor must sign. UNLV does not have a set policy regarding how much advance notice must be given and does not attempt to verify the type of petition being circulated. Further, although UNLV does not require written acceptance of its guidelines, it expects visitors to follow those guidelines. The evidence presented to the district court concerning UCCSN revolved primarily around an incident outside of UNLV's Artemis W. Ham Concert Hall (Ham Hall) on May 18, 2004. That night, the Bush Campaign held what UCCSN asserts was a private, ticketed, invited-guests-only political rally at the hall. The campaign arranged and paid for additional security directly with the UNLV police department. An NSG petition circulator testified that he arrived without prior notice on the UNLV campus around 3:30 or 4:00 p.m. to collect signatures outside Ham Hall. He stated that he approached the most authoritative person he saw, a UNLV police officer, who directed him to the other (north) side of the building. The petition circulator testified that he was standing at the bottom of the northern stairwell, soliciting signatures, when another UNLV police officer told him that he had to leave because petitioning is not allowed on UNLV property. According to the circulator, he and the officer had further discourse regarding his signature-gathering activities, during which the officer blocked his access to exiting persons and insisted that he move to the side, away from the stairwell. The officer, according to the circulator, then handcuffed him and led him away from the exit path. The circulator refused to leave the area and was consequently arrested. He testified that the only other signature-gathering location offered to him was away from the exits, off UNLV property. Following the June hearing, the district court determined that NSG's signature-gathering efforts had been hindered in violation of constitutional and statutory rights and, accordingly, issued an order granting a preliminary injunction. Specifically, the district court noted the above incidents, made findings as to similar events at DMV locations, and stated that [t]he record is replete with testimony of instances where the [government actors] forced [NSG] group members and agents to leave state public buildings for lack of official authorization to be circulating petitions on the premises, and instances of denial of [NSG's] asserted right to use the building[s]. The court rejected appellants' arguments that their actions were taken pursuant to permissible time, place, and manner restrictions, and enjoined them from further acting to prevent NSG from the full enjoyment of its rights. In addition, the district court's order directed the county clerks to accept the two petitions for filing through the close of business July 20, 2004, and the Secretary of State to expedite his respective ballot duties by advancing formation of a pro/con committee. UCCSN and RTC appeal from the preliminary injunction prohibiting them from enforcing their expressive-activity policies.