Health El Paso faculty told not to use ‘disparity,’ lawsuit claims
The American Association of University Professors and its Texas chapter filed the lawsuit July 8 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas El Paso Division, naming Chancellor Brandon Creighton and the system’s nine-member Board of Regents as defendants. The complaint challenges directives that the plaintiffs say restrict what faculty may teach about sex, race, gender identity and sexual orientation.
According to the lawsuit, a Texas Tech Health El Paso faculty member self-censored part of a course about El Paso’s underserved population. Campus leaders told the faculty member not to use the word “disparity” in class, the complaint alleges.
At issue are memoranda that Creighton issued and the board approved in December 2025 and April 2026, which ordered administrators at the system’s five institutions to review course material covering those subjects. Creighton said the reviews were intended to focus courses more on workforce preparation.
“This curriculum review under Senate Bill 37 will, in part, ensure each university is offering degrees of value,” Creighton wrote in his December memorandum.
The plaintiffs on Friday asked the court for an immediate injunction to stop the policies, arguing that they “control if or how faculty may teach those topics” and “harm faculty throughout the system.”