US weighs in against University of Michigan bullying policy

By ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says a University of Michigan policy prohibiting "harassment" and "bullying" is unconstitutional because it's so subjective.

The department sided Monday with a free speech organization that has challenged the university policy in federal court. That organization, Speech First, says the university's policies on harassment and bullying are so vague that they chill students' First Amendment rights.

The Justice Department filing is known as a statement of interest, a document that alerts a court to the federal government's position in a lawsuit involving private parties.

It's the fourth time the Justice Department in the Trump administration has filed a statement of interest in a First Amendment case.

Lawyers for university president Mark Schlissel did not immediately return phone messages seeking comment Monday.