Alabama Students Sue University Over Shutdown of Two Campus Magazines

Overview

• Eight student journalists filed a federal lawsuit Monday accusing the University of Alabama of violating their First Amendment rights by suspending two magazines.
• The complaint says officials ended Alice and Nineteen Fifty-Six because they targeted women and Black readers, citing a nonbinding July 2025 memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi.
• The students argue the focus on who the magazines served amounts to viewpoint discrimination, noting a UA leader said the content itself was not the problem.
• The suit asks a court to restore the publications and their funding, with the plaintiffs represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, ACLU of Alabama, and Arnold & Porter.
• The university declined to comment during litigation, while protests, a 3,000-signature petition, and an alumni drive that raised $25,000 have supported independently relaunched versions.