Court Opinion

ID: 9615622
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:39:05.773111+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:03:49.836238
License: Public Domain

ROYIRA, Justice,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I concur in the majority opinion except as to part II C, which holds that Olson has standing to challenge the student senate funding decision as it affected the first amendment rights of students at Pikes Peak Community College.
The majority opinion holds that even though Olson’s first amendment or associational rights were not violated she has demonstrated that the decision to terminate funding of the school newspaper has a chilling effect on the free speech rights of students and, therefore, she is entitled to assert their first amendment claims. In support of this conclusion, it notes that Olson has demonstrated “concrete adverseness” sufficient to assure effective presentation of the students’ first amendment rights. It then sets out three prudential considerations which warrant giving Olson third party standing: (1) substantial relationship between Olson and the students; (2) obstacles that confront students in asserting their own rights; and (3) possible dilution of student first amendment interests if third party standing is not permitted.
In my view, there were no obstacles which prevented student members of the News staff from asserting their own first amendment rights. Three students were named plaintiffs when the complaint was filed. Even though two of them graduated, the third student continued in school. None of the students appealed the decision of the trial court. Other students could have been substituted as party plaintiffs. If students at the college are concerned about their first amendment rights, they have every right to seek redress in the courts. Under the facts of this case, I do not believe that there would be a dilution of the students’ constitutional rights if third party standing was not permitted. The three “prudential” considerations set out in the majority opinion have not been sufficiently established to warrant granting Olson third party standing to claim the first amendment rights of students.
I am authorized to say that ERICKSON, C.J., joins me in the concurrence and dissent.