Campus Free Speech
Why the Internet Celebrated a Killer
Combine moral zealotry with increasingly blurred lines between political speech and violence long enough, and the outcome is predictable.
This UVA Law Student Was Threatened With Expulsion for Sitting Outside With Protest Signs
Kirk Wolff set out to peacefully protest Trump's plan to take over Gaza. Then an administrator and a police officer drove by.
New Episodes of the Academic Freedom Podcast
Conversations on campus free speech with Timothy Zick, Jennifer Ruth, and Michael Berube
"Title VI Must Be Applied Consistent with First Amendment Principles"
A federal district court discusses how the First Amendment limits liability for "hostile environment harassment" based on "speech on matters of public concern" in universities (public or private). And the reasoning may extend to Title VII liability on workplaces as well.
Lawless IV: Leadership Failures Old and New
The pandemic showed the weakness of the leadership class. [UPDATE: Inadvertently posted it under my byline, but it's of course Ilya Shapiro's post, as the byline now reflects. -EV]
Lawless I: The Illiberal Takeover of Legal Education
My "lived experience" at Georgetown gave me a unique perspective on the higher-ed crisis.
Court Rejects Title VI Lawsuit Over Alleged Anti-Semitism at Haverford College
"As a result of Plaintiffs' scattered pleading, any serious allegations of actionable discrimination are buried as needles within a haystack of distraction."
Activists Tried To Cancel a Record Number of Campus Events in 2024
164 events or speakers were targeted, mostly over the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Ohio Legislator Proposes Criminalizing Planting a Flag at Midfield
A new type of sore-loser law.
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"Far from Representing a Powerful Avant-Garde Leading the Way to Political Change, …
the politicized class of professors is a serious political liability to any party that it supports."
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Has Fueled a Surge in Campus Censorship
The portion of college students who say it's OK to shout down campus speakers is rising, according to a new survey.
Court Rejects Claim That Columbia Improperly Suspended Students for Justice in Palestine Chapter
N.Y. law provides for some judicial review of private universities' actions, when a university fails to "adhere[] to its own published rules," thus rendering its "actions were arbitrary or capricious"; but that standard, the court holds, wasn't met here.
On Punishing Speech vs. Punishing Conduct
A university president provides a helpful explanation of the difference.
Musa al-Gharbi: How Woke Elites Became Out of Touch
The Stony Brook sociologist discusses how progressives are having a hard time processing why more and more black and Latino voters are supporting Donald Trump.
Texas Public University Restrictions on Anti-Israel Speech Likely Violate First Amendment
So holds a federal court (correctly, I think), considering restrictions that were prompted by Texas Governor Abbott's General Order GA-44.
Journal of Free Speech Law: "Academic Freedom & the Politics of the University," by Joan Wallach Scott
A new article from the Daedalus (Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences) Future of Free Speech Symposium.
University of Michigan Spent $250 Million on DEI, Made Students Unhappier
"Michigan's D.E.I. expansion has coincided with an explosion in campus conflict over race and gender," notes The New York Times.
UNM Policy Used to Charge High Security Fees for Riley Gaines Talk Struck Down
The case was brought by Turning Point USA over the University of New Mexico's decision to charge over $5K (originally planned to be over $10K).
University of Maryland Sued for Canceling Student 'Expressive Activity' on October 7
The university caved to pressure to target pro-Palestine events.
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.
Campus Protest Hypocrisy Reveals Need For Student Education on Free Speech
As Israel-Hamas demonstrations continue in the new school year, the misunderstanding of free speech is fueling disruption and hypocrisy on campuses.
On the Missions of Academic Institutions
As long as academic institutions place social justice goals ahead of truth seeking and knowledge creation, they will lose the respect of the public and will not live up to their potential.
Psych Professor's Lawsuit Over Alleged Contract Nonrenewal Based on Speech About Gender Dysphoria Can Go Forward
Prof. Allan Josephson (formerly of the University of Louisville medical school) claims his contract wasn't renewed because "he expressed his thoughts on treating childhood gender dysphoria during a panel discussion sponsored by a conservative think tank [the Heritage Foundation]."
Free Speech and the Educational Mission
Some of the hardest free speech issues arise when a university argues that restrictions are justified by its "educational mission."
1 in 3 College Students Say Violence in a Campus Protest Can Be Acceptable, Survey Finds
The survey of over 50,000 students also found that 37 percent of students said it was "sometimes" or "always" acceptable to shout down a speaker, up from 31 percent last year.
The First Amendment Is an Arms Control Agreement
One of the functions of the First Amendment is to create a kind of arms control agreement: With respect to censorship, all sides agree to lay down their arms.
Campus Free Speech, 2024
For free speech on campus, Brandeis and Holmes should guide colleges and universities.
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.
"Johns Hopkins University Articulates Restrained Approach to Issuing Public Statements"
"[T]he very idea of an 'official' position of the university on a social, scientific, or political issue runs counter to our foundational ethos ...."
