Opinion ID: 556562
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Open Forum

Text: 25 First amendment doctrines are manifold, and their diverse facts and analyses may reveal but one consistent truth with respect to the amendment--each case is decided on its own merits. Nevertheless, a correct legal analysis must predicate proper explication of the constitutionally pivotal facts. This is not a forum case. We disagree with the district court's conclusion that a university classroom is an open forum during instructional time. 26 In deciding that a school newspaper published by a journalism class was not a public forum, the Supreme Court restated the examination to be made: 27 [S]chool facilities may be deemed to be public forums only if school authorities have by policy or by practice opened those facilities for indiscriminate use by the general public, Perry Education Assn. v. Perry Local Educators' Assn., 460 U.S. 37, 47 [103 S.Ct. 948, 956, 74 L.Ed.2d 794] (1983), or by some segment of the public, such as student organizations. Id., at 46, n. 7 [103 S.Ct. at 955 n. 7] (citing Widmar v. Vincent ). If the facilities have instead been reserved for other intended purposes ... then no public forum has been created, and school officials may impose reasonable restrictions on the speech of students, teachers, and other members of the school community. 28 Hazelwood School Dist. v. Kuhlmeier, 484 U.S. 260, 267, 108 S.Ct. 562, 568, 98 L.Ed.2d 592 (1988) (emphasis added). While the University may make its classrooms available for other purposes, we have no doubt that during instructional periods the University's classrooms are reserved for other intended purposes, viz., the teaching of a particular university course for credit. Thus, we first hold that Dr. Bishop's classroom is not an open forum. The next issue to determine is whether the University by its memo has reasonably restricted Dr. Bishop's speech or exercise rights therein.