Campbell Law School will allow Charlie Kirk posters, says removal wasn't about speech

Jane Winik Sartwell, The News & Observer (Raleigh) on Mar 25, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

RALEIGH, N.C. — Campbell Law School is reversing course on a decision to take down a student’s flyers that depicted Charlie Kirk and his family, underscored with the message “End Political Violence.”

The school has allowed law student Justin Booker to rehang his posters and confirmed he will not be disciplined, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. Booker told The News & Observer he plans to take Campbell up on it.

He said he feels, however, that justice has hardly been served.

Booker, 24, hung 40 copies of the poster all over Campbell Law School in the wake of Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University last year. The school promptly removed them.

Booker argues that this removal amounts to a violation of his First Amendment right to freedom of speech, which a standard for law schools set out by the American Bar Association protects, even at private institutions like Campbell.

Dean of Student Life Regina Chavis told Booker it was because the school didn’t allow the publication of personal messages, the student said. When Booker couldn’t find that provision in the student handbook, he was told that flyers are only allowed on certain bulletin boards, and that university leadership has the right to remove any student publication for any reason.

Booker got FIRE involved on his behalf, and the organization sent Campbell a letter, pressuring the school to clarify its free speech policies. Campbell’s general counsel replied to FIRE, saying she found no evidence of viewpoint discrimination.

“The placement and volume of these postings created a substantial risk of disruption to classes and meetings in progress, as students stopping to read the flyers or congregating in stairwells could cause distraction and impede the free flow of foot traffic,” the letter reads. “The removal was therefore based on content-neutral time, place, and manner concerns related to maintaining an orderly educational environment.”

Still, Campbell is now allowing Booker to rehang the posters. FIRE celebrated the development as a success.

“This is great news, not only for Justin and his anti-political violence message, but for the expressive rights of all Campbell students,” said FIRE program officer Dominic Coletti. “Campbell took a more-speech approach and signaled that it won’t remove flyers because of their content going forward.”

But Booker’s outlook isn’t so rosy. He feels that Campbell is switching between excuses for removing his poster without addressing the core issues at hand.

“The damage is already done,” Booker said “... They immediately circled the wagons.”

Booker is active in conservative groups on campus, like the Republican National Lawyers Association. His support of Charlie Kirk is deeply personal.

“I was talking to my mom about this right after it all happened,” Booker said. “She said, ‘This is really upsetting to me because Charlie Kirk could have been you. You two are pretty similar, you have similar personalities, you’re both committed to free speech, you’re both outgoing, you’re both willing to talk to anybody, and I was hoping that maybe you would grow up to be like him.’ I think that’s true on a lot of levels. It could have been any conservative on any campus across the nation, and it would have been just as horrifying, but it was him.”

Though Booker says he received a disciplinary warning about his posters, Campbell spokesperson Haven Hottel says there was no disciplinary action taken against Booker.

“Following a thorough investigation into this complaint and an evaluation of the law school’s promotional policies, the committee found no evidence of viewpoint discrimination,” Hottel said. “No disciplinary action was taken ... He has always been free to hang his posters in accordance with the law school’s Bulletin Board policy.”

Hottel said the school has approved a revised bulletin board policy in response to this situation, and has also designated additional spaces for student flyers.

_____