COLUMBIA — A U.S. district court in Kansas City on Friday ordered the University of Missouri to allow Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine to participate in this year’s homecoming parade.
The ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri comes after the student organization sued UM System President Mun Choi for denying the group from participating in the 2024 parade. Arguments began in the lawsuit on Tuesday.
According to court documents, Choi personally denied MSJP’s application, citing safety concerns with the group’s former president and campus violence elsewhere in the country last year.
Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine (MSJP) protesting along side the Mizzou Homecoming Parade on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024 on Rollins Street in Columbia. MSJP was originally planned to be in the parade, but was later rejected due to “safety concerns”, according to President Mun Choi.
MSJP's application to walk in the 2025 parade was denied on the basis that it did not adhere to newly established Homecoming parade policies that exclude political expression. The policy allows only approved participants and denies participation of organizations that don’t adhere to the parade’s theme of “Black and Gold.”
The 2025 Homecoming parade begins at 9 a.m. Sept. 27.
Ahmad Kaki, staff attorney at Council on American-Islamic Relations National, said while there is still work to be done, this ruling is more than just a win for MSJP.
"We and Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine see this as a victory for students across the country who seek to speak out on behalf of the Palestinians in Gaza who are currently undergoing a genocide," Kaki said. "Hopefully, other public universities will hear the same message."
CAIR represented MSJP in the lawsuit.
Kaki also said there is an existing motion to dismiss, which was filed by MU. He said MSJP and CAIR will need to respond to this motion in the coming weeks. Kaki is confident in the organizations' chances.
"We definitely think that with this ruling from the court, there's a lot of reason to believe that the lawsuit will be allowed to go forward," Kaki said.
Parade denials
MSJP was not the only group the university denied parade entry to, according to court documents. MU denied entry to nine other organizations: the Brazilian Student Association, Central Missouri Chapter of The Links Incorporated, Girl Scouts of Northern Boone County, League of Women Voters Columbia Boone County, Be Smart for Kids (Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America), Spanish Theatre Club, The Diva University, The Elite Royal Lionettes, and University of Missouri Children's Critical Care.
The U.S. district court that heard MSJP’s lawsuit ordered MU to produce a list of organizations it had accepted and denied for parade participation.
KOMU 8 News reached out to the University of Missouri for comment. The university has not yet issued a statement.