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First Amendment Universities

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the government from making laws respecting the establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech... more +
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the government from making laws respecting the establishment of religion, prohibiting the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech or the press, preventing citizens from peacefully assembling, or interfering with citizens' ability to petition the government for redress of their grievances. The First Amendment is one of the most sacred aspects of the American legal tradition and has spawned a vast body of jurisprudence and commentary. less -
Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC

The Academic Advisor - Education Law Insights, Issue 5, 2025

Welcome to our fifth issue of The Academic Advisor for 2025.   In this edition, we cover the following topics of interest for schools, institutions of higher education, and other education-focused organizations...more

Venable LLP

Legal Showdown: Harvard and Trump Administration Spar Over Alleged Federal Civil Rights Violations, Federal Funding Freeze

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Since President Trump's return to office in January, his administration has intensified efforts to combat antisemitism on college campuses, positioning the issue as a central pillar of its civil rights agenda....more

Quarles & Brady LLP

Prominent Jurist Issues Resounding Statement Supporting University Self-Determination Over Academic and Pedagogical Affairs

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Judge Easterbrook of the Seventh Circuit, one of the most prominent jurists in the country, recently issued a resounding endorsement of universities’ right to determine their own academic affairs. His opinion will have its...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Federal Judge in New Hampshire Grants Preliminary Injunction Blocking Education Department’s DEI Letter

On April 24, 2025, a federal judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire largely blocked the U.S. Department of Education from cutting funding for schools that refuse to drop diversity, equity, and...more

Saul Ewing LLP

Harvard University Sues Trump Administration Over Federal Funding Freeze

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Harvard University has filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump Administration’s decision to freeze more than $2 billion in federal grants and contracts benefitting Harvard. The funding freeze came after Harvard refused a list...more

Wiley Rein LLP

[Webinar] Critical Issues in Higher Education: Title VI, Free Speech, Foreign Funding, and More - May 6th, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

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This webinar will dive into recent actions by the Trump Administration and the emerging risks faced by universities and research institutions. Panelists will focus on the implications of key legal and policy shifts, as well...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

‘Catch and Revoke’ Program Takes Off: State Department AI-Driven Visa Crackdown

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The U.S. State Department’s “Catch and Revoke” program uses artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor foreign nationals, particularly student visa holders. The program aims to identify individuals who express support for Hamas,...more

Meyers Nave

Ninth Circuit Rules on Caste as a Protected Class in CSU’s Anti-Discrimination Policy

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On March 12, 2025, the Ninth Circuit issued its decision in Kumar v. Koester, dismissing a constitutional challenge to a university’s anti-discrimination policy that added “caste” as a protected class. Effective January 1,...more

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP

New Administration Outlook: Trump's DOE Letters and Colleges' First Amendment Defenses Against Pretextual Title VI Threats

Anti-discrimination statutes protect against "deliberate indifference" to conditions establishing a hostile environment of antisemitic violence and harassment. But those statutes cannot be used to censor legitimate speech...more

TNG Consulting

Why Title VI Training is Necessary Now 

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An ATIXA Testimonial by Alexis Piñero-Benson, University of New Hampshire  Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack in Israel and the ongoing geopolitical conflict, many colleges and universities witnessed a surge of...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

OCR’s Directive on Race-Conscious Policies in Higher Education

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On February 14, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (DOE) issued a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), which calls for educational institutions to immediately cease race-conscious practices in student...more

Jenner & Block

Client Alert: US Department of Education Issues Dear Colleague Letter Interpreting Students for Fair Admissions: What Colleges and...

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On February 14, 2025, the US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Dear Colleague Letter about legal obligations for educational institutions under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the...more

Franczek P.C.

Supreme Court October Term 2024 – Education Cases to Watch

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Some of us measure our year in weeks, months, or, for the readers of this article, likely by the school calendar. The Supreme Court, however, has its own measurement. The Court operates, hears cases, and issues rulings each...more

Quarles & Brady LLP

Back to the Future: What a Recent Vacatur, Executive Order, and Dear Colleague Letter Mean for Title IX Compliance

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Within the last month, three developments have rocked the Title IX world: the Eastern District of Kentucky’s decision in State of Tennessee v. Cardona, President Trump’s Executive Order restricting the federal definition of...more

Venable LLP

Title IX’s Final Rule Is Struck Down: Time to Return to the 2020 Regulations

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In a recent and far-reaching decision, a federal court struck down the Biden administration’s 2024 final rule, which sought to implement significant changes to Title IX’s regulations (the 2024 Final Rule). ...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

What Do We Do Now? District Court Invalidates 2024 Title IX Regulations

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On January 9, a federal judge in the Eastern District of Kentucky entered an order vacating the 2024 Title IX regulations (the Final Rule). The case is Tennessee, et al. v. Cardona (Civil Action No. 2: 24-072)....more

Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC

Title IX 2024 Final Rule Struck Down

On Jan. 9, 2025, the Eastern District of Kentucky held in State of Tennessee, et al. v. Miguel Cardona, et al. that the U.S. Department of Education’s 2024 Final Rule implementing Title IX is “unlawful.” This court decision...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Pressing Pause: Explanations and Next Steps for Title IX Administrators Following Preliminary Injunctions

In the past week, two U.S. District Court judges have issued preliminary injunctions halting implementation of the recently-released 2024 Title IX final rule....more

BCLP

Department of Education Issues Dear Colleague Letter as Student Protests Continue

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Colleges and universities around the country have been dealing with increasingly violent and contentious student protests in recent months.  Many have had to deal with student, parent, faculty, donor, and public criticisms...more

Fisher Phillips

Handling Campus Protests: Key Points for Colleges and Universities to Consider and 7 Tips for Your Protest Policy

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As protests erupt across college campuses, educational institutions are grappling with how to handle escalating situations and balance important interests like free speech and student safety. Colleges and universities are...more

Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC

The Academic Advisor - Education Law Insights, Issue 3, March 2024

Welcome to the third issue of The Academic Advisor for 2024. In this edition, we examine the following topics of import for schools, institutions of higher education, and other education-focused organizations: -...more

Sands Anderson PC

Protecting Protests on Private Campuses

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After criticism of her testimony before Congress on antisemitism on college campuses, the President of the University of Pennsylvania, Liz Magill, resigned. And, at Pomona College, authorities arrested a professor who...more

McGuireWoods LLP

Education Institutions Grapple With Overlap of First Amendment and Anti-Discrimination Laws

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Education institutions at both the K-12 and higher education levels have grappled with complex First Amendment and anti-discrimination issues since the events occurring in Gaza in October 2023. A new lawsuit in the U.S....more

Jenner & Block

Client Alert: The Supreme Court Declines to Weigh in on Dispute over Campus Speech Policies

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On March 4, 2024, the Supreme Court vacated the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals’ judgment in a case challenging Virginia Tech’s bias intervention and response team policy, instructing the court to dismiss the case as moot. ...more

Alston & Bird

Lessons Higher Education Can Learn from Recent First Amendment Litigation

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Our Education Team parses a pair of First Amendment cases that directly affect colleges’ and universities’ free speech policies for employees and students....more

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