Academic Freedom
Texas A&M Removes Plato from Introductory Philosophy Class
New "gender ideology" rule has predictable results
The 9th Circuit Upholds a University of Washington Professor's Right to Mock 'Land Acknowledgments'
The appeals court ruled that administrators violated Stuart Reges' First Amendment rights when they investigated and threatened to punish him for constitutionally protected speech.
What Would Bill Buckley Do?
The National Review founder's flexible approach to politics defined conservatism as we know it.
US News and World Report Article Urging Colleges to Reject Trump's "Compact" With Higher Education
I coauthored the article with four other legal scholars from across the political spectrum.
Luca Guadagnino's After the Hunt Skewers #MeToo Moral Posing
A feisty, cancel-culture provocation that isn't willing to commit.
Against Trump's New Higher Education "Compact"
A joint statement and a solo analysis of the Compact's problems
My New Paper on "How Speech-Based Immigration Restrictions Threaten Academic Freedom"
It is forthcoming in Academic Freedom in the Era of Trump, (Lee Bollinger and Geoffrey Stone, eds., Oxford University Press).
How Viewpoint Diversity Can Help Protect Academics from Themselves (and Perhaps Help Heal Our Civic Culture Too)
The lack of intellectual pluralism undermines the truth-seeking function of the university.
Are Students Engaged in Performative Virtue Signaling?
Interesting results from a survey of undergraduates at two universities.
The University Presidents Who Want to Fix Universities Before They Get Fixed
University Presidents are divided on how to respond to pressure from the Trump Administration. Are their concerns too little, too late?
Harvard Is Wise To Not Consider $500 Million Settlement With Trump
The university's president has maintained that Harvard will not risk losing its academic freedom, and it may delay any settlement negotiations until after a final court ruling.
The Value of Institutional Neutrality for Free Inquiry
My new article in the First Amendment Law Review's symposium on campus free speech
Diversity Statements and the First Amendment
My new article on diversity statements in faculty hiring and the First Amendment
Columbia's $200 Million Deal Will Placate Trump—for Now
To reinstitute $400 million in federal funding, the university agreed to implement plans to combat antisemitism and to appoint an independent monitor to oversee changes.
Trump vs. Harvard
Plus: City-run grocery stores, Peronists for prison, California can't figure out how minimum wage hikes work, and more...
Would "Affirmative Action" for Conservatives in Academia "Backfire"?
Universities should be wary of adopting practices or policies that "discourage curiosity and reward narrowness of thought."
New Jersey Lawmakers Are Considering 2 Bills To Heavily Regulate Homeschooling
Under the bills, homeschooling curricula would have to meet state learning standards and students would be required to complete annual wellness checks.
Florida Can Forbid Transgender High School Math Teacher From Using Feminine Pronouns to Refer to Herself in Class, 11th Circuit Says
The appeals court vacated a preliminary injunction that had been based on her First Amendment rights
The Decline and Fall of the AAUP as a Principled Defender of Academic Freedom
Matthew Finkin dissects how the American Association of University Professors has abandoned a principle defense of academic freedom.
Trump's Threats Against Musk and Newsom Reflect an Authoritarian Intolerance of Dissent
Even if the president was joking in both cases, he already has used his powers to punish people whose views offend him.
Harvard International Student With a Private Instagram? You Might Not Get a Visa.
Under new State Department guidance, having private or no social media presence "may be reflective of evasiveness and call into question [a student visa] applicant's credibility."
Academic Freedom Podcast on Restricting International Students at Harvard University
A conversation with Eugene Volokh on the First Amendment issues of the Trump administration's actions
Can Trump Yank Harvard's Remaining Federal Funding?
Trump is wielding the state against a school whose politics he doesn't like.
Academic Freedom Podcast on the Federal Funding Freeze Aimed at Harvard University
An explainer from Cass Sunstein
Academic Freedom Podcast on Rescinding Harvard's Tax Exempt Status
Can Trump do that, and what would it mean?
Steven Pinker: Can Harvard Be Saved?
The Harvard psychologist discusses recent gains for free speech at Harvard, growing political and ideological threats to academic freedom, and the importance of shared knowledge in sustaining truth and progress.
Here Is Why Harvard Argues That Trump's Funding Freeze Violates the First Amendment
The administration's demands extend far beyond its avowed concern about antisemitism and enforcement of "civil rights laws."
Harvard Sues Trump Admin
Plus: Democrats visit El Salvador, Taiwan invasion possibilities, Hayek on rule of law, and more...
Trump Threatens Harvard's Tax-Exempt Status
Apparently freezing $2 billion in federal funding wasn't enough.
Brown University Targets Student Journalist for Emailing Administrators
Brown is violating its code of conduct, which guarantees community members’ right to petition the university.
Universities Should Challenge Trump's Speech-Based Deportations of Students in Court [Updated]
A lawsuit brought by universities could potentially be much more effective than leaving individual students to fend for themselves.
New Academic Freedom Podcast on the Columbia Situation
A conversation with David Cole
France Accuses Trump of Booting Space Researcher Over 'Personal Opinion'
Border officials reportedly barred the academic from visiting Texas after finding anti-Trump messages on his phone.
Diversity Statements Coming to an End at the University of California
Is the experiment over?
The Israel-Hamas Conflict Convinced College Adminstrators To Turn Away From Politics, New Report Shows
Just eight colleges had official neutrality policies before the attack. By the end of 2024, it was almost 150.
The Academic Freedom Podcast is Back!
The podcast relaunches with a conversation with Cary Nelson
ABA Standard 208, Law Schools, and the First Amendment
New guidance makes explicit what should have been clear already: Standard 208 obligates law schools to embrace First Amendment principles.
Sixth Circuit Denies Qualified Immunity for State University Officials Who Allegedly Violated Professor's First Amendment Rights
Officials allegedly retaliated against a professor who expressed politically controversial statements about the best treatments for gender dysphoria among youth.
Private Universities That Reject First Amendment Principles Put Themselves At Legal Risk (Updated)
Conforming speech policies to the First Amendment would serve private universities well, legally and otherwise.
Florida Public Colleges Ordered To Check Courses for 'Anti-Israel Bias'
Officials ordered schools to review all courses with descriptions or syllabi that contain words such as Israel, Palestine, and Jewish.
70 Percent of College Students Say Speech Can Be as Damaging as Physical Violence
A new survey from the Knight Foundation found that more than 1 in 4 college students agreed schools should prohibit "speech they may find offensive or biased."
A Frightening View of Free Speech and Academic Freedom at Harvard
A Harvard Dean suggests universities can and should limit controversial speech.
Harvard To Stop Requiring DEI Statements for Many Faculty Positions
Harvard is taking steps away from politicization. Will other schools follow?
