Huntington Beach, CA — When Matin Samimiat fled authoritarian Iran for the freedom of America, he never expected to face censorship again—this time on a California college campus.
Now, Samimiat and fellow student Annaliese Hutchings have secured a major victory for student free speech rights, as Golden West College has agreed to repeal unconstitutional speech restrictions and pay attorney fees to resolve a federal lawsuit challenging campus censorship.
The settlement in Samimiat, et al. v. Smallshaw requires Coast Community College District to formally repeal its prohibition on “hateful behavior” and modify its “infliction of mental harm” policy to explicitly protect First Amendment expression. The college also agreed to pay $25,750.89 in attorney fees and expenses to the Institute for Free Speech, which represented the students and the Young America’s Foundation (YAF), a campus organization for young conservatives, as well as $17.91 in nominal damages to Samimiat and Hutchings each.
The case stemmed from college disciplinary officer Stephanie Smallshaw threatening YAF members Samimiat and Hutchings with punishment for displaying messages including “Illegal immigration is a cancer upon any society” and “Hamas is a terrorist organization, and they must be wiped from the face of the earth” during a campus club fair in February 2025.
Smallshaw warned the students that they faced discipline for using the cancer metaphor, claiming it “dehumanizes a group of people” and could be “harmful to people who have experienced cancer.” Regarding Hamas, she insisted their statement could “incite violence” and demanded they stop using “offensive language” because “some students here believe Hamas is not a terrorist organization.”
When Samimiat reported that other students had directed vulgar personal attacks at him—including telling the Iranian-born American citizen to “Go back to your f*cking country”—Smallshaw suggested the students’ own “provocative language” expressing conservative viewpoints had triggered these attacks.
The students faced months of resistance before finally receiving official recognition for their YAF chapter in March 2025. However, following Smallshaw’s threats, they largely ceased political advocacy on campus.
Under the settlement, the college district must eliminate the “hateful behavior” provision entirely and modify the “infliction of mental harm” policy to include new language stating: “Speech or other expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment, including the expression of social, ideological, or political viewpoints, does not violate this provision.”
“Students shouldn’t have to try to guess what speech is allowed by college administrators or fear punishment for taking a political stance,” said Institute for Free Speech Vice President for Litigation Alan Gura. “Public college officials can’t silence students simply because the students’ constitutionally protected opinions might offend others—that’s exactly the kind of viewpoint discrimination the Constitution forbids. This settlement ensures that students can now engage in robust political debate without administrative censorship or threats.”
“This settlement reminds us that the First Amendment still means something in America,” said Matin Samimiat. “When I came to this country from Iran, I never imagined I’d have to fight for the same free speech rights here that were denied to me there. But thanks to this victory, future students won’t have to choose between expressing their deeply held beliefs and facing discipline under an unconstitutional speech policy.”
“For too long, conservative students have been forced to self-censor or face punishment for expressing their political beliefs,” added Annaliese Hutchings. “This settlement sends a clear message that colleges cannot pick and choose which political opinions are acceptable. Students should be able to engage with difficult topics without fear of administrative retaliation.”
The federal lawsuit challenged the disciplinary code provisions as unconstitutionally vague, overbroad, and selectively enforced against conservative viewpoints. U.S. District Judge Fred W. Slaughter dismissed the case on July 18, 2025, following the settlement.
To read the settlement agreement, click here. To read the original complaint, click here. To review all related documents and access client photos, visit the case page here.
About the Institute for Free Speech
The Institute for Free Speech promotes and defends the political speech rights to freely speak, assemble, publish, and petition the government guaranteed by the First Amendment.
