A federal ruling gave the University of Alabama a court win in a dispute with student journalists over two university-funded, student-run magazines that were shut down indefinitely in December. The plaintiffs argued the suspensions violated the First Amendment by constituting viewpoint discrimination based on content tied to women and Black students. U.S. District Judge Edmund LaCour Jr. rejected the request to immediately reinstate the publications while the underlying case proceeds. In a 37-page opinion, LaCour concluded students failed to show the likelihood of success on their theory that the publications reflected a protected “viewpoint,” rather than the university’s editorial decisions about content. The judge drew a distinction between “viewpoint” and targeted content, writing that Nineteen Fifty-Six was defined by its articles and photography focused on Black students—not by a unified “black viewpoint.” Under that logic, LaCour said the plaintiffs’ framework would effectively expand constitutional litigation to nearly every editorial programming choice. The lawsuit—supported by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Legal Defense Fund and the ACLU of Alabama—continues, but the ruling reduces immediate pressure on the university to restore the magazines during the litigation.