Trending Now - Florida GOP Student Group Sues University Over Suspension Dispute

WHO:

James Fishback, a Republican gubernatorial candidate in Florida, stated that the university's action was "a disgusting attack on the first amendment."

William Donahue, chairman of College Republicans of America, expressed that the organization was "furious" that the Florida Federation of College Republicans "lied" to the university to terminate the group.

James Fishback, a controversial far-right candidate for Florida governor

Will Donahue, chairman of College Republicans of America

Anthony Sabatini, attorney and former Republican state representative

College Republicans at the University of Florida

Donald Landry, interim president of the University of Florida

Cynthia Roldan Hernandez, spokeswoman for the University of Florida

Florida Federation of College Republicans

WHAT:

The lawsuit filed by the College Republicans at the University of Florida claims that the university unlawfully "deactivated and shut down" the club in retaliation for protected political speech.

The lawsuit seeks an emergency order to restore the chapter's campus access and claims that the university's actions were politically motivated and unjustified.

The Florida Federation of College Republicans stated that the Gainesville campus chapter was disbanded after determining that some members had “engaged in a pattern of conduct that violated its rules and values, including a recent antisemitic gesture.”

The College Republicans at the University of Florida filed a lawsuit claiming the university unlawfully “deactivated and shut down” the club in retaliation for protected political speech.

The lawsuit seeks an emergency order to restore the chapter's campus access.

The university stated it would assist with reactivating the campus chapter under new student leadership when the Florida Federation of College Republicans is ready.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court against interim president Donald Landry, claiming the university's actions were politically motivated and unjustified.

The lawsuit states that the university's deactivation of the College Republicans chapter was based on a member allegedly performing a Nazi salute, as reported by a journalist who claimed to have sent the image to "the FBI and others."

The lawsuit claims that the university did not provide adequate notice or an opportunity for the chapter to explain its side before deactivation.

The lawsuit claims that the University of Florida's actions were politically motivated and unjustified.

The lawsuit seeks an emergency preliminary injunction against the university's decision.

The lawsuit states that the university's deactivation of the College Republicans chapter was based on claims from the Florida Federation of College Republicans, which the College Republicans at the University of Florida argue has no authority over them.

College Republicans filed a lawsuit against Donald Landry

The lawsuit seeks to stop the enforcement of the deactivation of the College Republicans chapter and restore access to facilities

The University of Florida deactivated the College Republicans chapter after a member allegedly engaged in an antisemitic act

The Florida Federation of College Republicans disbanded the Gainesville campus chapter due to violations of rules and values

WHERE:

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Gainesville, Florida.

University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

Florida International University, Miami, Florida

WHEN:

The lawsuit was filed on Monday, March 16th, 2026.

The lawsuit was filed on Monday, March 16th, 2026

The deactivation of the College Republicans chapter occurred in March 2026

The investigation at Florida International University was launched earlier in March 2026

The Young Republican organization in New York was suspended in Fall 2025

WHY:

The College Republicans at the University of Florida argue that their suspension is tied to their hosting of James Fishback, which they claim angered more moderate Republicans due to his extremist views.

Anthony Sabatini stated that the group was being targeted for promoting an “aggressive America First agenda.”

The College Republicans at the University of Florida assert that the university's decision was made in response to alleged viewpoints expressed by a member, aiming to silence the club and chill its future speech.

The University of Florida claims the deactivation was in response to a member's expression of a viewpoint alleged to be antisemitic

The lawsuit claims the university's actions were punitive and aimed at silencing the club

HOW:

The College Republicans at the University of Florida announced they had retained legal counsel to fight their termination, including attorney Anthony Sabatini, who stated that the university's decision was based on a false pretext.

The College Republicans at the University of Florida announced they had retained legal counsel to fight their termination.

The College Republicans of America defended the chapter, stating they expect the University of Florida to reinstate the chapter.

Lake County, Florida, County Commissioner and attorney Anthony Sabatini is involved in the lawsuit and has publicly stated that the university's decision was based on a false pretext.

The College Republicans at the University of Florida have retained legal counsel, including Lake County, Florida, County Commissioner and attorney Anthony Sabatini, who is involved in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that the university did not provide adequate notice or an opportunity for the chapter to explain its side before deactivation

The Florida Federation of College Republicans determined that some members engaged in a pattern of conduct that violated its rules and values

(UPDATED March 18, 2026 01:27 UTC)

In Gainesville, Florida, the College Republicans at the University of Florida have filed a lawsuit claiming that the university unlawfully deactivated their chapter in retaliation for their political speech, which they argue is protected under the First Amendment. The lawsuit, filed last Monday, seeks an emergency order to restore the group's campus access and alleges that the university's actions were politically motivated, following the hosting of Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback, whose views reportedly angered some moderate Republicans. Meanwhile, the Florida Federation of College Republicans stated that the chapter was disbanded due to members engaging in conduct that violated the organization's rules, including a recent antisemitic gesture.

(UPDATED March 17, 2026 23:10 UTC)

The College Republicans at the University of Florida have filed a lawsuit claiming that the university unlawfully shut down their club in retaliation for their political speech, specifically after hosting controversial far-right candidate James Fishback. The lawsuit seeks an emergency order to restore the chapter's access to campus, while the university has stated it will help reactivate the chapter under new leadership when the Florida Federation of College Republicans is ready. Anthony Sabatini, a former Republican state representative, argues that the group's suspension is a targeted attack for promoting an aggressive America First agenda, and they have retained legal counsel to fight their termination.

(UPDATED March 17, 2026 21:10 UTC)

A federal lawsuit has been filed against interim president Donald Landry, alleging that the University of Florida's decision to deactivate the College Republicans chapter was politically motivated and unjustified. The lawsuit claims that this action followed an incident involving a member allegedly performing a Nazi salute, which was reported by a journalist who sent the image to the FBI and others, while the Florida Federation of College Republicans stated the chapter was disbanded due to violations of its rules and values. County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini, who is involved in the lawsuit, argues that the university failed to provide adequate notice or an opportunity for the chapter to defend itself before the deactivation.

(UPDATED March 17, 2026 19:24 UTC)

A lawsuit has been filed against the University of Florida, claiming that the university's decision to deactivate the College Republicans chapter was politically motivated and unjustified. The College Republicans argue that this action was based on claims from the Florida Federation of College Republicans, which they believe has no authority over them, and they are seeking an emergency preliminary injunction to reverse the decision. They have retained legal counsel, including attorney Anthony Sabatini, who is also a County Commissioner in Lake County, Florida.

(UPDATED March 17, 2026 17:27 UTC)

On Monday, March 16, College Republicans at the University of Florida filed a lawsuit against Donald Landry, the interim president of the university, seeking to halt the deactivation of their chapter and restore access to campus facilities. The university deactivated the chapter earlier this month after a member was accused of engaging in an antisemitic act, while the Florida Federation of College Republicans stated that the chapter was disbanded due to violations of its rules and values. The lawsuit claims that the university acted punitively without providing adequate notice or an opportunity for the chapter to respond before the deactivation took place.