COLUMBIA — Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine has filed a lawsuit against the University of Missouri, alleging that university officials, including Chancellor Dr. Mun Choi, unconstitutionally excluded the student organization from the school’s 2024 Homecoming Parade and are poised to do so again in 2025 because of the group’s pro-Palestine views.
The complaint claims that the university’s actions violated MSJP’s free speech rights under the First Amendment by engaging in viewpoint-based and content-based restrictions, according to the complaint filed August 27 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri Central Division.
MSJP, a registered student organization dedicated to raising awareness of injustices against Palestinians, has been active on campus since October 2023, organizing protests, sit-ins, educational events, and marches that have drawn hundreds of students, according to the complaint.
The group says it has never been cited for violating university rules, and its application to participate in the 2024 Homecoming Parade was initially approved by the Mizzou Alumni Association.
Emails from parade organizers, including one stating “we are so excited to have your organization be a part of such a special Mizzou tradition,” reinforced the group’s understanding that their participation had been accepted.
However, weeks later, the complaint alleges, Choi intervened and personally denied MSJP’s participation, citing concerns about safety and referencing protests by Students for Justice in Palestine groups at other universities.
The complaint states that these safety concerns were pretextual and that no specific threats or risks were identified regarding MSJP’s planned activities, which included performing a traditional Palestinian dance, distributing sweets and bracelets and carrying banners reading “Ceasefire Now” and “Stop the Genocide.”
The lawsuit claims MSJP was singled out for special scrutiny, subjected to a unique review process and ultimately barred from a parade that has historically included diverse and often controversial political and social messages.
Choi also forbade other student groups from displaying the Palestinian flag unless they simultaneously displayed the Israeli flag, the complaint states.
“At every turn of the Homecoming Parade, Chancellor Choi sought to suppress pro-Palestine speech,” the complaint states.
The Homecoming Parade, which the university touts as one of the oldest in the country, has for over a century been a platform for a wide range of expressions, including political campaigns and activist groups.
The complaint highlights the university’s tradition of celebrating student activism, including civil rights sit-ins dating back to 1958, and argues that excluding MSJP because of its political stance undermines that legacy.
The lawsuit also challenges a new parade policy adopted for 2025, which gives the chancellor “ultimate approval” authority over all applications.
MSJP contends this policy will allow the university to repeat the alleged constitutional violation by again excluding the group based on its viewpoint.
MSJP has already applied to participate in the 2025 parade, stating it intends to express the same messages calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to what it describes as “genocide” against Palestinians.
The group argues its participation would be consistent with the university’s stated parade themes, including celebrating MU’s traditions of free expression and cultivating alumni connections, particularly among pro-Palestine alumni.
MSJP seeks a court declaration that its exclusion was unconstitutional, an injunction preventing the university from barring its participation in the 2025 Homecoming Parade and damages for the time, money and resources it expended preparing for the 2024 parade. It is represented by Lena Masri, Gaderi Abbas and Ahmad Kaki of Cair Legal Defense Fund in Washington, D.C.; and Eric Vernon, Sylvia Hernandez, Holly Vnnostran and Kevin Baldwin of Baldwin & Vernon in Independence.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Central Division case number: 2:25-cv-04184
