U.S. District Court Judge Paul Magnuson put the brakes on the student services fees lawsuit filed against the University last February.
The decision will halt proceedings until a similar case against the University of Wisconsin is resolved by the Supreme Court in early 2000.
Five University students sued the University in 1998, claiming they should not be forced to pay student services fees to fund groups whose political ideas they do not share. The lawsuit specifically pegged La Raza Student Cultural Center, the Queer Student Cultural Center and University YW as supporting such ideas.
The three student groups filed a motion in April 1998 to intervene in the case, but were denied the motion in February.
The case mirrors the one in Wisconsin, in which the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in August 1998 that students are not obligated to fund political and religious student groups. The school appealed to the Supreme Court in November, which agreed on March 29 to hear the case.
As for now, the University’s case is “on ice,” said Jordan Lorence, attorney for the students in both Wisconsin and Minnesota. Lorence said he doesn’t expect a decision on the Wisconsin case until February or March 2000.

— Nicole Vulcan