Published: Feb 13, 2017, 2:58 pm Updated: Feb 13, 2017, 3:09 pm

By David Pitt, The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa In a case that free speech advocates are calling a victory for college students everywhere regardless of their political views, a federal appeals court on Monday ruled that Iowa State University cannot prevent a marijuana law reform advocacy group from distributing a T-shirt with the Iowa State University mascot on one side and a marijuana leaf on the other.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said ISU administrators including President Steven Leath, Senior Vice President Warren Madden and two others violated First Amendment rights of two students who were top officers of the ISU chapter of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws.

The students, Paul Gerlich and Erin Furleigh, planned in 2012 to print T-shirts depicting NORML ISU on the front with the O represented by Cy the Cardinal, the university mascot. On the back the shirt read, Freedom is NORML at ISU with a small cannabis leaf above NORML.

Even though the university approved the groups original design that incorporated the mascot and a marijuana leaf, Leath and the others blocked it claiming it violated the schools trademark policy after getting pressure from conservative lawmakers and an appointee of Republican Gov. Terry Branstad who saw a story about the groups planned T-shirt in a Des Moines Register article.

The students sued in July 2014 and early last year U.S. District Judge James Gritzner ruled the schools policy violated the students free speech rights and barred the university from prohibiting printing the T-shirt. Leath and the other ISU administrators appealed.

The appeals court agreed with Gritzners ruling.

The defendants rejection of NORML ISUs designs discriminated against that group on the basis of the groups viewpoint, the justices wrote.

The court concluded that the ISU administrators unusual trademark approval process for the NORML group was motivated at least in part by pressure from Iowa politicians.

The case, even though it centers on NORML, a group favoring marijuana legalization, drew support from several conservative organizations including the anti-abortion group Students for Life of America and the Christian Legal Society.

This decision protects, not just for this group but for all these groups, the ability to participate in the marketplace of ideas and not be discriminated against because the government doesnt like your views, the conservative groups attorney Casey Mattox said.

Furleigh and Gerlichs attorney, Robert Corn-Revere, said the case confirms that universities cannot discriminate against students or their advocacy organizations based on political views.

People from all across the political spectrum have felt the sting of having officials who dont like their political views make decisions based them. So, this is an opinion that helps people across the political spectrum, he said.

ISU spokesman John McCarroll said administrators are reviewing the decision and have not decided whether to appeal for an 8th Circuit rehearing or ask the U.S. Supreme Court to consider hearing the case. He offered no further comment.

Follow David Pitt on Twitter at https://twitter.com/davepitt . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org

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Pro-marijuana student group prevails again in T-shirt free speech case - The Cannabist