National Free Speech News & Commentary

Model Legislation to Reform Faculty Accountability in Higher Education

Model Legislation to Reform Faculty Accountability in Higher Education

John D. Sailer, Tal Fortgang ‘17 February 18, 2026 1 min read

The Manhattan Institute offers a simple proposal: state legislatures should expand oversight of their public universities. With powers clarified by lawmakers and a new mandate to exercise their existing powers, university board members can act as a counterweight to the excesses of university faculty and administrators—specifically, through greater involvement in the hiring of administrators, the approval of faculty lines, and the creation of core curricula.

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US justice department sues Harvard over admissions records access

US justice department sues Harvard over admissions records access

Lucy Campbell February 18, 2026 1 min read

The Department of Justice filed a new lawsuit against Harvard University, accusing it of failing to hand over documents and comply with a federal investigation into alleged racial discrimination in its admissions process, in the latest escalation of Donald Trump’s long-running legal pursuit of the nation’s oldest university.

Harvard stressed in a statement that it was responding to inquiries “in good faith” and prepared to engage “according to the process required by law”.

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Mistrial declared in case of students charged after Stanford pro-Palestinian protests

Mistrial declared in case of students charged after Stanford pro-Palestinian protests

Kanishka Singh February 18, 2026 1 min read

A judge declared a mistrial on Friday in a case of five current and former Stanford University students related to the 2024 pro-Palestinian protests when demonstrators barricaded themselves inside the school president's office.

The case was tried in Santa Clara County Superior Court against five defendants charged with felony vandalism and felony conspiracy to trespass. The rest previously accepted plea deals or diversion programs. The jury was deadlocked. It voted nine to three to convict on the felony charge of vandalism and eight to four to convict on the felony charge to trespass. Jurors failed to reach a verdict after deliberations.

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Free speech lawsuits mount after Charlie Kirk assassination

Free speech lawsuits mount after Charlie Kirk assassination

Martin Kaste February 13, 2026 1 min read

Five months after the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, a wave of lawsuits reveals how Americans were investigated, fired, and in one case, arrested for their online reactions to his death.

The most dramatic case involves Larry Bushart, a retired police officer in Lexington, Tenn. A self-described progressive and "keyboard warrior," he'd been posting memes that mocked Republican officials' mourning over Kirk. Then local police came to his door.

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PEN America, 36 Organizational Partners, Call on Texas A&M to Rescind Censorship Policies

PEN America, 36 Organizational Partners, Call on Texas A&M to Rescind Censorship Policies

PEN America     February 13, 2026 1 min read

On February 10, 2026, PEN America, joined by a broad group of 36 organizational partners, wrote to the Board of Regents of Texas A&M University to request that they rescind two policies, passed in fall 2025, that have resulted in the censorship of academic courses across the institution, and the announced closure of the University’s Women’s & Gender Studies Program.  

The letter explains that these policies are not only a threat to academic freedom, but, put simply, that “Censorship undermines the quality of education that faculty can offer students.” As recent news reports are making clear, these policies are limiting students’ access to education, particularly when it comes to course content related to race, gender, and sexual orientation.

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Immigration judge rejects Trump effort to deport pro-Palestinian Tufts student

Immigration judge rejects Trump effort to deport pro-Palestinian Tufts student

Nate Raymond  February 13, 2026 1 min read

An immigration judge has rejected the Trump administration's efforts to deport Tufts University PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk, who was arrested last year as part of its targeting of pro-Palestinian campus activists, her lawyers said on Monday.

Lawyers for the Turkish student detailed the immigration judge's decision in a filing
with the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which had been reviewing a ruling that led to her release from immigration custody in May.

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