A federal judge has issued an order requiring that Auburn University allow the white supremacist and "alt-right" leader Richard Spencer to speak Tuesday evening as he had initially been scheduled to do.
"This afternoon, a federal judge ruled that Auburn must allow Spencer to speak in the Foy Auditorium tonight," the university said in a statement posted online Tuesday afternoon. "It is now more important than ever that we respond in a way that is peaceful, respectful, and maintains civil discourse."
Spencer set off a firestorm both online and on campus last week when he unexpectedly announced via Twitter that he would be giving a speech on Tuesday in the school's James E. Foy Hall.
Protests against his racially divisive rhetoric and mere presence on the school's campus were quickly planned, and Auburn ultimately cancelled the event on Friday, citing safety concerns.
In the wake of the cancellation, Spencer told the Auburn Plainsman that the university would "rue the day." Spencer went on to file a complaint Tuesday morning in federal court in Montgomery alleging that Auburn was infringing on his right to free speech by not allowing him to speak in Foy Hall.
"Plaintiff has filed the Petition seeking, among other things, to enforce the agreement reached with Auburn for the renting of the room and to enjoin the school from failing to comply with its contract and thereby violating his rights," the complaint stated.
Later that afternoon, U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins issued an order requiring Auburn to allow Spencer to speak in Foy Hall as originally planned.
Spencer heralded the victory by tweeting out a video of himself standing in front of the federal courthouse in Montgomery and calling it "a moment to savor" and "a great victory for free speech."
"I did not this this was going to happen," Spencer, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon, said in the video. "I thought the chances of victory were slim, but we did it. This is a huge win."
The controversy over Spencer's speech has become part of the national conversation in recent days, even leading the New York Times to run an opinion piece Tuesday morning by Geoffrey R. Stone, a law professor at the University of Chicago, in support of Spencer's right to speak at the university. "Auburn had it right the first time," Stone wrote.
But the university and some of its students and employees fear that allowing Spencer to speak on campus could result in violence.
Victoria Siciliano Zucco, spokeswoman for the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice (ACIJ), tol AL.com Monday that her group is hoping to send people to the Tuesday event to "have a presence there." But she said that she is "super-concerned for safety" due to the divisive nature of Spencer's views.