Top court to decide student fees case

The future of UW–Madison’s student fee system now rests with the nation’s top court.

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether the mandatory fees violate students’ free-speech rights. Their decision will affect student fee systems at all public universities.

“It’s a close legal question that the Supreme Court needs to decide,” says Assistant Attorney General Susan Ullman, who will argue the case for the UW System.

Three UW law students sued the university in 1996, objecting to the use of student fees to finance campus groups they disagree with on ideological, political or religious grounds. After a federal judge ruled in their favor and the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision, the Board of Regents in October asked the Supreme Court to hear the case.

The university and its student government leaders say that fee-supported student groups are a necessary part of the education experience and are constitutional because they support free speech for students.

The Supreme Court will take up the case in October when it begins its new term.