Richard Spencer says he still plans to speak at Auburn University Tuesday.
Last week, the school canceled a speech the white supremacist was scheduled to give on campus Tuesday evening, citing safety concerns.
Spencer later told the Auburn Plainsman that the university would "rue the day" it crossed him and promised to "give a speech on their campus" despite the cancellation.
On Monday, Spencer told the Plainsman that he took legal action that day to prevent the school from blocking him from speaking on campus.
"An injunction has been filed," Spencer told the student newspaper. "We feel the law is on our side. I think it's very clear. The Supreme Court has been unequivocal in terms of supporting people in situations like ours."
Though Auburn has officially nixed Spencer's speech at James E. Foy Hall, there is some concern among groups hoping to protest his presence at Auburn that the school may not be able to bar him from spouting nonviolent rhetoric in the school's "free-speech zone."
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.
"We just talked to Auburn because it seemed like the event was cancelled but that Spencer was coming anyway," she said. "They said they have a free speech area around Thatch Hall that they can't do anything about, and that there will be police presence."
Auburn spokesman Mike Clardy did not respond to a series of questions AL.com asked about the rules of campus free speech zones, whether or not Spencer has informed them of a court injunction and a number of other topics. Clardy instead provided a short statement via email.
"Auburn canceled the Spencer event out of legitimate and specific concerns for campus safety," the statement said. "If he comes to campus anyway, we will handle consistent with existing policies and practices and plan for possible contingencies in consultation with law enforcement."
Spencer, who did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday morning, has become famous in recent months after a series of incidents involving him drew national attention.
Last year, a video went viral that featured the firebrand repeatedly saying "hail Trump" and espousing white supremacist views to a crowd in Washington, D.C. that responded with Nazi salutes. And he was famously punched in the face on Inauguration Day in Washington this January in an incident that was caught on tape and spread widely online.