Nation IN BRIEF : WISCONSIN : Judge Voids Ban on Sexist, Racist Speech

A federal judge in Madison threw out a University of Wisconsin rule forbidding racist and sexist speech on campus, saying it violated First Amendment guarantees of free speech. Judge Robert W. Warren, responding to a lawsuit that called the rule a violation of constitutional rights, said his order went into effect immediately. School officials said the decision ignores the rights of people offended by such speech. The rule was adopted by the Board of Regents in 1989 after a series of incidents described as racist, including a fraternity slave auction. James Sulton, special assistant to the university president for minority affairs, said he expects the university to appeal the ruling within the required 30 days.