Will Penn State have to allow Richard Spencer on campus?

It does not appear that Richard Spencer will be speaking at Penn State anytime soon.

A judge on Monday dismissed the lawsuit brought against the university by Spencer supporter Cameron Padgett for the university's decision to deny the self-described white nationalist's request to speak on campus.

U.S. Middle District Judge Matthew W. Brann dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice based upon Padgett not having served Penn State his complaint.

Padgett also failed to respond to Brann's order that he show why the case should not be dismissed.

Padgett, a Georgia State student who said in court documents he "subscribes to identitarian philosophy" and that he has "organized a number of events at college campuses at which Spencer” and other alt-right activists speak, filed the lawsuit against the university's board of trustees and President Eric Barron in October.

Citing safety concerns, Penn State had denied the National Policy Institute president's request to speak in August, less than two weeks after the violent clashes between alt-right protesters and counter-protesters led to three deaths in Charlottesville, Va. Spencer had led the initial rally to protest the city's plans to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

“There is no place for hatred, bigotry or racism in our society and on our campuses,” Barron said when denying Spencer's request.

Padgett's case pushed back against the university's claim that Spencer's appearance was denied due to safety concerns, placing blame not on the participants on the right, but on protesters from the left, saying “radical leftists affiliated with the Antifa political movement have previously violently attacked Spencer and Spencer’s supporters at venues at which (they) peacefully assembled with the goal of shutting down Spencer’s events.”

In the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, other universities including Ohio State, Michigan State, the University of Cincinnati and Auburn, also denied Spencer's speaking request. Each of those universities, subsequently, were also sued.

In each case, Padgett was looking for Spencer to be allowed on campus, as well as punitive damages.

Michigan State settled with Padgett, which then allowed Spencer to speak on campus in March. Auburn paid $29,000 to dismiss the lawsuit, while Spencer's attorney dropped the Ohio State case. The University of Cincinnati case remains open.

Spencer was given the OK at the University of Florida in October, where police say three white nationalists heckled protestors with Nazi chants and salutes before one of the men pulled out a gun and the other two encouraged him to use it and he did. All three are charged with attempted murder.

As for now, it appears that Spencer is taking a break from speaking at college campuses, as he posted a YouTube video in March saying he was "rethinking his college tour," after the violent protest that broke out upon his visit that month to Michigan State.

This story was originally published April 24, 2018 at 3:04 PM with the headline "Will Penn State have to allow Richard Spencer on campus?."