University of Alabama students sue over suspension of student magazines
By Ryan Lovell
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TUSCALOOSA, Alabama (WVTM) — Students of two suspended University of Alabama magazines are suing the trustees of the University of Alabama System, including Gov. Kay Ivey, alleging the suspension of their publications violated their First Amendment rights.
Alice and Nineteen Fifty-Six were university-affiliated magazines before they were shut down indefinitely by administrators on Dec. 1, 2025. The university cited a July 2025 memo from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi regarding federal funding and unlawful discrimination, claiming the magazines served as “unlawful proxies” because their content targeted specific audiences.
The suspended magazines later returned, but they are now independently published under new names and are no longer affiliated with the university.
Filed on behalf of the students by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the ACLU of Alabama and the law firm Arnold & Porter, the federal lawsuit says the decision to suspend the magazines constitutes viewpoint discrimination. It argues the suspension of both publications does not align with the university’s treatment of other student media enterprises that do not share specific perspectives on race and gender, using The Crimson White as an example.
It also argues that the university suspended the magazines because the viewpoints of Alice and Nineteen Fifty-Six are of interest to women and Black students, respectively.
The lawsuit alleges the suspensions caused irreparable harm to the affected students.
It asks for a declaration that the suspensions and termination of funding violate the First Amendment, preliminary and permanent injunctive relief, and associated court and attorney’s fees.
The University of Alabama System did not immediately respond to a request for comment from WVTM 13.
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