LOUISVILLE Ky.
An evangelist who preaches at campuses nationwide has lost his initial bid to speak at Murray State University in western Kentucky.
A judge ruled Monday that the school’s campus speech policy requiring speakers to obtain on-campus sponsors is legal.
James G. “Brother Jim” Gilles, of Symsonia in western Kentucky, sued the university in 2006, claiming that MSU deprived him of his rights to free speech and to exercise his religion by rejecting his requests to preach at the Curris Center a high-traffic area frequented by students and visitors.
Gilles asked for an injunction suspending the school’s sponsor requirement.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Russell said in his ruling that the requirement is not a burden for Gilles.
“If Plaintiff obtains sponsorship by a student organization or a university department, he is free to speak on campus,” Russell wrote.
