LSU law professor out of the classroom pending investigation from university
Jan 23, 2025
BATON ROUGE - An LSU law school professor in trouble for political comments made during class, and his attorney says it’s a violation of his First Amendment rights. Professor Ken Levy is being investigated by the university, and for the time being, he’s out of the classroom.The semester just started at LSU’s law school, and in a classroom of about 82 students, Levy was teaching a class about police and public interactions. His attorney Jill Craft says students took issue with his comments in the confines of teaching the First Amendment.Craft says a student recorded the lecture and Levy’s now been removed for making political comments, though what those comments were is unclear."This is a law school where future lawyers should be taught to think critically,” Craft said.In 2018, the Louisiana Legislature instructed universities to update or create policies on free speech and expression. It says the university prides itself on upholding free expression and believed that a culture of intense inquiring and informed argument generates lasting ideas.“Are we going to educate people to only be of one mind, and if they have a diverging opinion then they need to be punished?" Craft said.It also says the university prohibits expression that violates the law, defaming a specific individual.Three months ago, another professor at the law school was called out on social media by Gov. Jeff Landry for making comments against Donald Trump.Permalink| Comments