National Free Speech News & Commentary

By Academic Freedom Alliance Press Release

Excerpt: The Academic Freedom Alliance (AFA) today filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit as it considers Pernell v. Lamb, a case against Florida’s “Stop W.O.K.E. Act.” The AFA’s brief argues that Subsection 4 of the Act violates the First Amendment to the Constitution by preventing faculty from discussing “a wide range of concepts that appear in debates at the heart of many university courses.” The case is on appeal before the 11th Circuit, which has upheld a lower court’s injunction against the Act pending a final decision.

By Jonathan Turley
Jonathan Turley's Blog

Excerpt: After years of resisting demands under the Public Records Act (including alleged violations), UC Berkeley has finally turned over documents to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) on its hiring criteria. The files show that Berkeley has been grading faculty on their commitment to DEI, including viewpoints that should be protected by free speech or academic privileges.

By Ann Atkinson
Wall Street Journal

Excerpt: Beneath ASU’s written commitment to intellectual diversity lies a deep hostility toward divergent views. The latest trouble started in February when the Lewis Center hosted Robert Kiyosaki, Dennis Prager and Charlie Kirk for an event on “Health, Wealth, and Happiness.” This nonpartisan program was part of a popular speaker series focused on connecting students with professionals who can offer career and life advice.

By Jonathan Nicastro
National Review

Excerpt: The outgoing and incoming presidents of Dartmouth College, Phil Hanlon and Sian Beilock, respectively, recently published a robust defense of free speech in the Boston Globe. Not only do Beilock and Hanlon dismiss the silencing of people for supposedly harmful opinions as illegitimate, but they also explicitly recognize the self-censorship of conservative students in “today’s left-leaning higher education landscape.”

By The Editorial Board
Wall Street Journal

Excerpt: A Fourth Circuit majority [ruled] that Virginia Tech's bias response team does not have a chilling effect on free speech. The ruling, written by Judge Diana Gribbon Motz, a Clinton appointee, states: "[T]he First Amendment does not stand in the way of modest efforts to encourage civility on college campuses." Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, a Reagan appointee, wrote in dissent: "The stark reality of the record is that programs like the Bias Intervention and Response Team are being used in the service of discouraging that open inquiry from which education draws its very meaning and sustenance.”

By Robert McCoy
The Daily Beast

Excerpt: This year, graduating CUNY Law student Fatima Mohammed was elected by her peers to speak at her school’s commencement ceremony. Taking the stage during the May 12 ceremony, at a school that enjoys a reputation for social justice, Mohammed used her platform to speak about her class’ experiences and a number of political issues.