ALUMNI: Ron Sachs: Courage and Conviction

Ron Sachs, B.S. Journalism 1972, as the editor of the Alligator from 1971-72, was charged with a felony for publishing a list of abortion clinics and counseling services, in violation of an 1868 Florida abortion law.  His court case led to a ruling that the 1868 law, and Florida’s companion 103-year-old abortion law, were unconstitutional and the rewriting of a less-restrictive statute.

Publishing the story also led to a threat of “prior restraint” by then UF President Stephen C. O’Connell.  But Florida’s Attorney General ruled that the exercise of prior restraint by the UF president would violate the First Amendment.

Posted: February 8, 2019
Category: Alumni Profiles, Profiles