Student magazines stay shuttered

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — An Alabama federal court declined to order the University of Alabama to reopen two student magazines that were shuttered, one for being “by and for women” and the other “a Black student-led magazine that amplifies Black voices.” The school argued the magazines were “too narrowly focused and could create liability” for the university under federal anti-discrimination laws. The court finds “no evidence” to support the students’ argument that the closings were a “facade for viewpoint discrimination.” The university replaced the shuttered publications with “one magazine open to content by and for all students, regardless of sex or race.” On May 1, President Trump delivered the commencement address at Alabama’s flagship university, the first by a sitting president.