Kentucky Leads 13-State Brief Asking Supreme Court to Deny Professors Special Speech Rights in Antisemitism Case
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced in Frankfort on Nov. 9 that he and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall are leading a 13-state coalition that has filed a brief asking the United States Supreme Court to rule that university professors do not have special, sacrosanct First Amendment rights not applicable to any other public employee.
The brief argues that the First Amendment does not protect speech made by state employees in their official capacity, and that academic freedom applies only to the universities themselves, not individual professors. The action supports Coleman's previous efforts defending a state law directing Kentucky's public universities to combat the spread of antisemitism.
The case involves University of Kentucky law professor Ramsi Woodcock, whom the university placed under investigation over whether he used his official, taxpayer-funded capacity to call for violence against Israel and other statements. Last week, a Kentucky federal judge denied Woodcock's request for an order to halt the investigation.
"Every American has the right to free speech and expression. However, the Constitution is clear that the States do not have to subsidize antisemitic speech on their college campuses," Coleman said. The coalition also includes Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, and Texas. Solicitor General Matt Kuhn filed the brief on behalf of the Commonwealth.
(Source: Kentucky Attorney General)
Source: Office of the Kentucky Attorney General
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Frankfort 的肯塔基州议会大厦。CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
