On August 19, 2025, staff of The Minnesota Daily transferred over 50 boxes of records to the University of Minnesota Archives. Among the contents was a thick folder labeled “Daily History Clips Regarding 1979 Finals Issue.” The folder contained a copy of the Daily Inquirer: The Minnesota Daily Finals Week Edition, June 4-8, 1979, stamped “File Copy Do Not Remove,” and dozens of clippings from the Daily and other newspapers that document the controversy and legal battle that was instigated by this issue, which was widely criticized for its satirical articles on topics of race and religion.
Article Clipping, "Daily wins 1st Amendment appeal," The Minnesota Daily, October 12, 1983
Article Clipping, "Chronology of events related to Daily lawsuit," The Minnesota Daily, October 12, 1983
The article, “Daily wins 1st amendment appeal,” printed on the front page of the October 12, 1983 issue, reported the outcome of a lawsuit filed in 1980 by the Board of Student Publications against the Board of Regents and President C. Peter Magrath after the Regents passed a refundable student service fee option.
The action, believed to be in retaliation for the contents of the humor issue, alleged that the University violated the Daily’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.
To provide readers with context for the impact of this outcome, a “Chronology of events related to the Daily lawsuit,” was printed on page 3.
Flier, "Save the Daily!," Minneapolis Freshmen Council, 1979
Advertisement Clipping, "An open letter to the faculty," The Minnesota Daily, November 8, 1979
Other contents of the folder include a flier distributed on campus in 1979 with the title, “Save the Daily!” that demonstrates how students organized to support the newspaper.
In “An open letter to the faculty,” published as an advertisement in the Daily on November 8, 1979, members of the faculty implored their colleagues to defend the newspaper and consider the implications that outside influence and censorship would have on University autonomy and academic freedom.
A petition by the Regents to overturn the 1983 decision, which declared their action against the Daily unconstitutional, was rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals. University attorneys then negotiated an out-of-court settlement with the Board of Student Publications that included a payment of $182,094 to the Daily for legal expenses and the establishment of a fund to support educational programs on the First Amendment.
