Censorship of the Innovator newspaper at Governors State University

Hosty v. Carter

UPDATE (February, 2006)

U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal of Hosty v. Carter case

Student Press Law Center page on Hosty v. Carter

2005 Appeal of Hosty v. Carter case to the U.S. Supreme Court

Brief of plaintiffs in Hosty v. Carter for writ of cert. to U.S. Supreme Court (Sept. 16, 2005), PDF

2005 7th Circuit Court of Appeals en banc ruling against the Innovator newspaper

Hosty v. Carter, No. 01-4155 (7th Cir. June. 20, 2005), PDF

HTML version of the Hosty v. Carter decision

John K. Wilson's In These Times article (7/6/05)

John K. Wilson: my analysis of the Hosty opinion (InsideHigherEd.com)

Media Coverage of the June 20, 2005 en banc decision

Student Press Law Center analysis: press release, June 20, 2005, June 21, 2005, June 22, 2005 and June 23, 2005

Statement by co-plaintiff Margaret Hosty

Chicago Reader Hot Type column (7/1/05)

Paola Banchero commentary for the Anchorage Daily News (7/2/05)

First Amendment Center Analysis by David Hudson Jr. (6/30/05)

First Amendment Center analysis by Douglas Lee (6/29/05)

First Amendment Center news report (6/21/05)

Society of Professional Journalists statement (6/22/05)

InsideHigherEd.com news article (6/21/05)

Daily Southtown news article (6/21/05)

Chicago Tribune news article (6/21/05)

University of Texas at Austin Daily Texan news article (6/22/05)

editorial by the Northern Illinois University Northern Star (6/21/05)

editorial by the University of Houston Daily Cougar (6/21/05)

editorial by the Daily Texan (6/22/05)

editorial by the Ball State University Daily News (6/23/05)

editorial by the University of New Mexico Daily Lobo (6/23/05)

Sherman Dorn blog entry (6/21/05)

Original 7th Circuit Court of Appeals panel rules against Governors State University

PDF of the Court of Appeals decision

Media Coverage of the April 10, 2003 Decision

Associated Press story, April 10, 2003

Chicago Tribune story, April 11, 2003

Student Press Law Center press release, April 10, 2003

Background on the case:

Summary of the Case, Hosty v. Carter, by John K. Wilson

Student Press Law Center page on the Hosty v. Carter case

Status of Lawsuit (October, 2002):

Students have filed a brief (PDF version here) and Student Press Law Center amicus brief in response to the brief filed by the Attorney General of Illinois for Governors State University before the 7^th Circuit Court of Appeals, who made a ruling April 10, 2003.

Earlier Media Coverage:

Chronicle of Higher Education article on the case, "Censorship or Quality Control? " by Jeffrey Young (August 9, 2002)

Pat Cunningham column attacking freedom of the student press (July 29, 2002, Rockford Star) Letter by John K. Wilson (Aug. 2, 2002)

Court Fight Looms Over College Paper (July 24, 2002 AP story)

Don’t Stop the Presses (June 19, 2002 editorial from the University of Illinois Daily Illini)

Case may hand control of Ill. college newspapers to administrators, Daily Egyptian (Southern Illinois University at Carbondale), June 20, 2002  

Western Illinois Courier article (June 2, 2002)

Student Press Law Center update, June 13, 2002

Student Press Law Center report, March 30, 2001

Freedom Forum report, April 12, 2001

Article in the Rockford Star, about GSU, April 9, 2001.  

Documents on the history of the case:

GSU student handbook (declaring that student editors "will determine content and format of their respective publications without censorship or advance approval")

Dean Roger Oden’s denunciation of the Innovator (November 2, 2000).

Governors State University President Fagan denounces the Innovator (Nov. 3, 2000).

Response by editor-in-chief Jeni Porche to Fagan (Nov. 16, 2000).

Geoffroy de Laforcade, faculty advisor to the Innovator, responds to Fagan’s Nov. 3, 2000 memo.

Press statement by faculty advisor Geoffroy de Laforcade (Feb. 16, 2001).

Statement by Charles Richards, owner of Regional Publishing, about Dean Carter’s demands for prior review (Nov. 14, 2000).

Defense by managing editor Margaret Hosty for November, 7, 2000 emergency meeting of the media board called by Dean Patricia Carter.

Grievance by Margaret Hosty to the Student Senate at Governors State University (February 26, 2001).

Report by the Illinois College Press Association about the Innovator (March, 2001).

Reply by Margaret Hosty to the ICPA Report (March, 2001).

Legal briefs and decisions:

• Brief of the Student Press Law Center and 24 other media, First Amendment and journalism education organizations
   
• Brief filed by Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan on behalf of Dean Patricia Carter and Governors State University
   
• Brief of student editors of the GSU Innovator
   
• oral arguments made before the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Jan. 7, 2003 (.mpg format).
   
• oral arguments made before the 11-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on Jan. 8, 2004 (.mpg format).

PDF of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals decision (April 10, 2003)

Reply brief by the student journalists (Filed August 1, 2002). PDF version of the reply brief.

Student Press Law Center amicus brief (2002)

Brief filed by the Attorney General of Illinois for Governors State University before the 7^th Circuit Court of Appeals. (May 2002)

Hosty v. Governors State University, U.S. District Court, 174 F. Supp. 2d 782 (April 27, 2001)

Hosty v. Governors State University, U.S. District Court, No. 01 C 500 (November 13, 2001)

1^st Appeal by students to 7^th Circuit on jurisdictional grounds (denied).

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