The U.S. District Court of Maryland temporarily paused the University of Maryland’s plan to restrict student group events on Oct. 7.

Judge Peter Messitte granted a preliminary injunction request by this university’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter in a written ruling on Tuesday, which allows all university student groups to hold “expressive events” on Oct. 7. The decision will not apply to the rest of the University System of Maryland.

The ruling comes a day after Messitte heard arguments for the case.

“The decision of [this university] to revoke [Students for Justice in Palestine’s] reservation was clearly neither viewpoint-neutral, nor content-neutral,” Messitte wrote in the ruling. “It came about for reasons that the Constitution simply does not countenance: fear of disruption, and anger of opponents.”

University president Darryll Pines announced in a Sept. 1 campuswide email that this university would limit all on-campus “expressive events” scheduled for Oct. 7 to only university-sponsored events.

In response to the decision, this university’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter filed a lawsuit on Sept. 17 against the university, Pines and the university system Board of Regents.

According to the lawsuit, Students for Justice in Palestine in July reserved McKeldin Mall for a vigil scheduled on Oct. 7 to honor Palestinians killed in Gaza over the past year. The university’s Jewish Voice for Peace chapter planned to co-host the vigil, which would include an interfaith prayer, Palestinian crafts and teach-ins about Palestinian history, the court documents stated.

[Federal judge hears arguments over UMD’s Oct. 7 event restrictions]

The lawsuit alleged this university violated students’ First Amendment rights and engaged in “unconstitutional content-based discrimination,” according to court documents. Last week, the lawsuit received support from the American Civil Liberties Union and other free speech organizations, The Diamondback previously reported.

Under the preliminary injunction, Students for Justice in Palestine will be allowed to hold its scheduled vigil on Oct. 7.

In a Tuesday news release after the ruling, this university said it will implement a “robust safety plan” with enhanced staffing and security for events on Oct. 7.

“[This university] recognizes, and will abide by, the court’s decision, and will work with all registered student organizers of events requested for October 7,” the news release said. “Event organizers, campus officials and UMPD will implement a plan that allows all events to proceed in accordance with the court’s ruling.”

Oct. 7 marks one year after Hamas killed at least 1,200 people in Israel and took about 250 people hostage, according to the Associated Press. Since the attack, Israel’s military forces have killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.

This university’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter called Tuesday’s decision a “historic victory for the student movement for justice and liberation.”

“We refuse to allow attempts to cancel our reservations to stop our message,” the organization wrote in an Instagram post.

Attorneys from the Council for American-Islamic Relations and Palestine Legal are representing Students for Justice in Palestine in the lawsuit.

“We’re thrilled with the court’s decision,” Gadeir Abbas, a deputy litigation director and senior litigation attorney at CAIR, said in a Tuesday press release. “If the First Amendment didn’t protect students who seek to mourn a genocide and educate the public about it, then it’s meaningless.”

The Students for Justice in Palestine chapter must post a bond of $2,500 for potential damages, according to Tuesday’s ruling.

[Students for Justice in Palestine chapter sues UMD, USM for Oct. 7 event restrictions]

The ruling will also allow other “expressive events” on Oct. 7. After Pines’ email, this university withdrew approvals for three Oct. 7 events sponsored by this university’s Jewish Student Union, The Diamondback previously reported. The organization has reserved space for events on Oct. 6, according to student affairs vice president Patty Perillo’s written testimony, or affidavit, filed Thursday.

In a statement to The Diamondback on Tuesday, this university’s Jewish Student Union said that while the organization recognizes and respects the federal court ruling, it is concerned the decision could elevate “dangerous” narratives.

Students for Justice in Palestine’s decision to hold its vigil on Oct. 7 is “shameful,” the statement said.

After Students for Justice in Palestine’s reservation, a letter campaign addressed to administrators at this university and the university system opposed the event and cited concerns the event would create a “hostile environment for the Jewish community,” The Diamondback reported last month.

After conducting multiple safety assessments, University of Maryland Police Chief David Mitchell decided he was not confident in UMPD’s ability to ensure the safety of students, staff and faculty on Oct. 7 without a ban on all “expressive events,” he said during Monday’s hearing.

Chapter leaders met with university administration on multiple occasions in August about the scheduled vigil, according to court documents. University administrators informed chapter leaders on Sept. 1 that approval for the organization’s Oct. 7 event had been revoked.

In response to the university’s decision, the plaintiffs urged this university to provide additional security for the scheduled vigil, rather than revoking the reservation, according to court documents.

The Maryland Office of the Attorney General declined to comment on the decision.

This story has been updated.