Professors ask judge to block policy and reinstate canceled courses
The university system’s policy bars professors from “advocating” race or gender ideology or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity, according to the complaint filed Monday in federal court in Houston. Four Texas A&M University professors and the American Association of University Professors brought the suit against the system’s Board of Regents.
The policy also requires presidential approval to address those subjects in certain courses and prohibits them in core courses, the lawsuit says. The plaintiffs allege the restrictions violate their First Amendment rights and are so vague that faculty cannot determine what they may teach without risking discipline, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit asks the court to issue an injunction blocking the restrictions, rescind instructions requiring professors to remove particular readings or subjects, reinstate courses canceled under the policy, and declare the policy unconstitutional.
Leonard Bright, Vanita Reddy and Landon Sadler, all Texas A&M University professors, and Aaron George, a professor at Tarleton State University, are the individual plaintiffs. They are represented by the ACLU of Texas, the national ACLU and the Houston law firm Yetter Coleman.