UC Berkeley is a public university, so its administration is bound by the first amendment according to the incorporation doctrine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wik

UC Berkeley is a public university, so its administration is bound by the first amendment according to the incorporation doctrine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incorporation_of_the_Bill_of_Rights#Amendment_I https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incorporation_of_the_Bill_of_R... (Though maybe the actors you're referring to are students rather than the administration. It's true that students can't violate someone's first amendment rights, although they can interfere with their exercise in a way that the administration might have a legal duty to prevent.)