On Friday, February 23, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) demanded that Columbia reinstate Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and BC/CU Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) by March 1. NYCLU plans to sue the University if their demands are not met.

On Friday, February 23, the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) announced  their demands on Columbia to reinstate the “unlawful suspension” of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and BC/CU Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) by March 1, 2024. If the University fails to respond by that date, the NYCLU intends to sue. The organizations were suspended on November 10, 2023, due to holding unauthorized demonstrations. Under the suspension, the groups are not eligible to hold further events on campus or receive funding from the University. 

In their announcement, the NYCLU stated that suspending the student groups was “unlawful” and “calls on the university to reinstate SJP and JVP chapters immediately.”  They highlighted the right to free speech and equal treatment of students at private colleges, continuing, “We are ready to fight that battle in court.” 

Donna Lieberman, Executive Director of the NYCLU, wrote, “Universities should be havens for robust debate, discussion, and learning — not sites of censorship where administrators, donors, and politicians squash political discourse they don’t approve of.”

In their statement, the NYCLU addressed the letter they sent to University administrators about the lawsuit, where they outlined the instances wherein Columbia  “violated its own policies in order to punish” SJP and JVP. NYCLU acknowledged their concerns that the University’s actions were “improperly motivated by the student groups’ political stance in support of Palestinian rights.” 

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