Inside Higher Ed, This Law Professor’s Job Has Become a Legal Drama:
Ken Levy of Louisiana State University told Trump-supporting students they need his “political commentary.” A series of judges has disagreed over whether he should be back in class. And Louisiana’s governor keeps attacking him on social media.
In a Jan. 14 lecture, Ken Levy, Holt B. Harrison Distinguished Professor of Law at Louisiana State University, dropped f-bombs against then–president-elect Donald Trump and Louisiana governor Jeff Landry and told students who like Trump that they need his “political commentary.”
Some students found the apparent attempt at political humor funny, according to an audio recording of the class obtained by Inside Higher Ed from a student who supports Levy.
But at least one student in the administration of criminal justice class who subsequently complained, according to LSU, wasn’t amused—and neither were the university and the governor. An LSU spokesperson said the institution “took immediate action to remove Professor Levy from the classroom after complaints about the professor’s remarks.”
Levy got a lawyer and took immediate action himself, pulling LSU into court instead of waiting for the university to take further steps internally regarding his job.
In the month since that lecture, state district court judges have twice ruled that Levy should return to the classroom, only for a state appeals court to twice overrule that. The back-and-forth nature of the case has attracted attention in Louisiana and in law circles, including via headlines such as “The LSU Law School Professor Free Speech Hot Potato Saga Continues.”
Landry also continues to discuss the case. A Republican governor who’s repeatedly inserted himself in LSU affairs, Landry used social media in the fall to call on the university to punish one of Levy’s law school colleagues for alleged in-class comments about Trump-supporting students. Landry has now repeatedly posted about Levy, recently saying an alleged exam he gave was incendiary and suggesting that “maybe it’s time to abolish tenure.”
New Orleans Times-Picayune, LSU Passes New Free Speech Policy After New Louisiana Law; Some Students Raise Concerns:
LSU's Board of Supervisors on Friday approved a new, five-page policy establishing rules for free speech on campus — a change that comes amid two high-profile controversies over what professors should be allowed to say in class.
The university said the policy is necessary to comply with a law the Louisiana Legislature passed last year requiring higher education institutions to establish policies protecting free expression. But some students raised concerns that the policy was vague and limited student and faculty freedom of speech.
Louisiana Illuminator, Political Anxiety on Display at LSU Board Meeting
Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:
- LSU Law Prof Removed From Classes Amid Investigation Into Political Comments (Jan. 22, 2025)
- Tenured Law Prof Sues LSU For Removing Him From Teaching After Allegedly Saying ‘F*** Trump’ In Class (Jan. 29, 2025)
- Judge Orders LSU To Reinstate Law Prof Removed From Teaching Due To Political Comments In Class (Feb. 2, 2025)
- Appeals Court Blocks Order Requiring LSU To Reinstate Law Prof Who ‘Used Vulgar Language To Criticize Gov. Landry And President Trump’ (Feb. 6, 2025)
- Judge Orders LSU To Return Law Prof To The Classroom Despite His Use Of Vulgar Language In Criticism Of Gov. Landry And President Trump (Feb. 13, 2025)
- Appeals Court Again Blocks Order Requiring LSU To Reinstate Law Prof Who Used F-Bomb In Criticizing Gov. Landry And President Trump (Feb. 15, 2025)
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