University of Utah: Student Arrested, Investigated, Then Cleared for Nuclear Meltdown Joke
Cases
University of Utah
Case Overview
In September 2022, University of Utah student Meredith Miller posted on the social media platform YikYak, 鈥渋f we don鈥檛 win today,鈥 referencing the university鈥檚 football team, 鈥淚鈥檓 detonating the nuclear reactor on campus.鈥 After identifying Miller as the source of the post, campus police arrested her on September 21, released her later that night, and charged her with making a terroristic threat. FIREwrote the Salt Lake County District Attorney鈥檚 Office on September 23 urging it to drop the charge, which rested on expression that was clearly a joke. We also argued that the reactor itself was not a weapon of mass destruction, and it can鈥檛 be detonated. (The size of a microwave, it doesn鈥檛 release dangerous levels of radioactivity and is so safe students can stand near it for prolonged periods.) The DA鈥檚 office dropped the charge but the university considered suspending Miller for two years. FIREthus wrote the university on December 27 demanding it end any investigation of Miller and forgo punishment. In February 2023, after a hearing and with the help of FIREand an attorney, the university agreed it would not punish Miller.