Opinion ID: 1426237
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Preliminary Injunction Proceedings

Text: The plaintiffs filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent the CUNY Defendants from prohibiting plaintiffs from publishing endorsements of candidates in future student government elections at CSI or any other CUNY college and from taking reprisals against plaintiffs, including cancellation of any election results, for publishing such endorsements. During a hearing held before a magistrate judge on the motion, CUNY Associate General Counsel Michael Solomon confirmed that it was likely CSI would once again cancel student government elections if the College Voice published an edition similar to its May 1997 issue. Solomon told the magistrate judge, I think if this happened again in spring 2000, the April 2000 elections and this identical issue came out, something [looking] like this and a student appealed, I think the Court should have a reasonable expectation the same thing would happen. The election results would be voided. Solomon also informed the magistrate judge that one way the College Voice could avoid these sanctions would be to submit its content to the SERC for pre-publication review. In light of these comments, the magistrate judge recommended that the district court grant the preliminary injunction. After the magistrate judge issued her recommendation, defendants informed the district court that Election Rule 2  which, as amended, provided that Publications funded by Student Activity Fee cannot be used as campaign flyers or posters during the student elections and cannot be used as a means to distribute campaign flyers or posters  had been repealed and that CSI would not reinstate the rule during President Springer's administration. Defendants further represented to the district court that they would not cancel any election in response to endorsements or opinions on elections published in school newspapers during Springer's administration. Accordingly, the district court denied plaintiff's motion for a preliminary injunction.