Mizzou denied pro-Palestine group in parade. They must allow it now, judge rules

Kacen Bayless, The Kansas City Star on Sep 19, 2025

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A federal judge on Friday ordered the University of Missouri to allow a pro-Palestinian student group to participate in the school’s homecoming parade, finding the university likely violated the group’s First Amendment rights.

The order from U.S. District Judge Stephen Bough grants the group, Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine, a preliminary injunction halting the university from barring the organization from the parade scheduled for next Saturday.

“Because the First Amendment’s Free Speech Clause provides that a governmental entity ‘shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech,’ MSJP’s Motion is GRANTED,” Bough wrote in the ruling.

The ruling came after the group sued University of Missouri System President Mun Choi for twice denying its parade applications this year and last year. The organization was the only student group denied entrance to the 2024 parade.

“Not only does the Court’s decision help vindicate our rights after we were unjustly targeted and denied last year, but it’s a big win for the Palestinian movement across the country,” the student group said in a statement. “No matter how hard they try to silence our voices, we will never stop advocating for the Palestinian people, and their right to exist with peace and dignity.”

Ahmad Kaki, one of the attorneys representing the group, said in a statement that Choi excluded the group because of the organization’s “views on Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”

“Not only will history remember Choi’s disgraceful attempt to silence these students, but the Court’s decision now memorializes the illegality of his actions,” said Kaki, who works for the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “This ruling is a major victory for the civil rights of all Americans.”

A university spokesperson did not immediately weigh in on the ruling on Friday. The ruling said that Choi explained his reason for denying the organization’s application in 2024 in an email that expressed his desire to ensure the safety of the organization and parade spectators.

In court filings, Choi said his safety concerns stemmed from two incidents involving the organization’s former president, Isleen Atallah, and incidents at universities in other parts of the country.

Bough found the argument wasn’t enough to bar the group from attending the parade.

“Dr. Choi failed to identify any specific instance in which MSJP—as a group— or any of its members other than Atallah engaged in conduct that posed a safety risk to the campus community,” the order said.

Bough’s order came with a few caveats, however. It allows the organization to participate in the parade as long as it complies with the university’s parade policy, which it enacted after last year’s parade.

The policy states that the purpose of the parade is to celebrate the university’s “traditions and accomplishments” and cultivate “alumni connections to the institution” among other requirements.

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