A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by a University of Florida College Republicans group that claimed the university violated its First Amendment rights when it removed the organization from campus.

The dispute began after the group was banned from the Gainesville campus in March following the circulation of a photograph showing two individuals making a Nazi salute.Although members of the organization denied involvement in the image, the group had previously faced allegations of antisemitic and racist conduct.According to the report, the University of Florida argued that its decision was not based directly on the group's political views or speech.

Instead, the university maintained that the organization lost its official status after a statewide Republican student organization revoked its charter.Without that affiliation, the group no longer met the requirements necessary to operate as an officially recognized campus organization.U.S.

District Judge Mark Walker, based in Tallahassee, ruled that the plaintiffs failed to provide sufficient evidence showing that the university had infringed upon their constitutional free speech rights.

The judge also noted that the organization lacked authorization from the Republican Party of Florida or its affiliated campus groups to continue using the name 'Republican.' These findings weakened the group's legal arguments and contributed to the dismissal of the case.

The ruling represents a setback for the student organization and reinforces the university's position that the action was related to organizational recognition and affiliation rather than censorship of political expression.The University of Florida declined to comment on the decision, while the group's attorney could not immediately be reached for a response.