University of Alabama: University Kills Student Magazines Based on Viewpoints

On December 1, 2025, Vice President for Student Life Steven Hood met with staff of student-run outlets Alice Magazine and Nineteen Fifty-Six, and informed them the magazines were permanently suspended. The university claimed it was basing its decision on a July 29, 2025, non-binding legal memo from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, which warned against the use of “unlawful proxies.” The university pointed to the topics and focus of the magazines to argue they were using “unlawful proxies” for race and gender. FIRE’s Student Press Freedom Initiative wrote UA on December 3, explaining the university’s suspension based on the content and viewpoint of these magazines was a violation of their clearly established First Amendment rights. FIRE demanded the university reverse its silencing of the student press.