Brimstone Preacher Wins Court Costs in Campus-Speech Dispute

A federal judge ordered the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville on Wednesday to reimburse an Oklahoma preacher for about $33,000 in legal fees that he racked up while challenging campus speech policies that a federal court largely overturned this past spring, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. The preacher, Gary Bowman, won his case when a federal appeals court ruled that it was unconstitutional for the university to limit his appearances to no more than five days per semester (The Chronicle, April 17). Mr. Bowman, who had sought $75,000 in legal fees, wants to speak frequently in order to criticize students for what he calls their sinful lifestyles. The university subsequently changed its speech policies, to accord with the court ruling (The Chronicle, June 12).