A Louisiana judge ordered LSU law professor Ken Levy be reinstated after his suspension for using vulgar language to criticize Gov. Jeff Landry and President Trump, emphasizing the importance of academic freedom. Judge Tarvald Smith ruled in favor of Levy, allowing him to resume teaching amid broader concerns about academic speech. Levy's suspension followed an anonymous complaint about comments made during a January lecture and apparently meant to be humorous. He jokingly critiqued Landry and Trump, saying "f*** the governor" and expressing disbelief over Trump's election with coarse language.
LSU suspended Levy pending an investigation, asserting he created a potentially demeaning classroom environment. His attorney, Jill Craft, argued this violated Levy's academic freedom. University President William Tate IV testified on the decision, stating he had no influence from Landry—a vocal critic of Levy who allegedly spurred death threats against the professor via social media.
Levy said, "Everyone was vulnerable if I lost this... So my win is their win." Fellow professor Patrick Martin had testified about his fears for the future if Levy lost, saying, "Is it possible I'm going to be suspended? That's a real fear." Judge Smith told attorney Faircloth, "Your client should get back to the business of training lawyers and let professors teach." (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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