BATON ROUGE, LA – Louisiana State University (LSU) law professor Ken Levy’s battle to return to teaching suffered a setback last week when a state appeals court overturned a lower court’s decision that had temporarily reinstated him in the classroom, Inside Higher Ed reported.
Levy was suspended from teaching last month following controversial comments he made about Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, President Donald Trump, and Trump-supporting students during a lecture, according to Inside Higher Ed.
In response, Levy’s legal team, led by attorney Jill Craft, sought a temporary restraining order to reinstate him, Inside Higher Ed wrote, and a judge initially granted the request on Jan. 30, allowing him to return without a hearing.
However, Louisiana’s First Circuit Court of Appeal reversed that decision, ruling the lower court erred by issuing the order without a full evidentiary hearing, Inside Higher Ed reported.
The case remains ongoing.
According to Inside Higher Ed, Levy’s suspension stems from remarks made in class on Jan. 14 while explaining course rules, including a ban on student recordings. Despite the ban, a recording of the lecture was made and later circulated, Inside Higher Ed wrote.
In the recording, Levy referenced Landry’s prior calls for LSU to discipline another law professor, Nicholas Bryner, for allegedly criticizing Trump-supporting students, Inside Higher Ed stated.
Allegedly, Levy then added, “I would love to become a national celebrity [student laughter interrupts] based on what I said in this class, like, ‘F*** the governor!’” Inside Higher Ed reported.
Levy continued with a remark about Trump, saying, “You probably heard I’m a big lefty, I’m a big Democrat, I was devastated by— I couldn’t believe that effer won, and those of you who like him, I don’t give a s, you’re already getting ready to say in your evaluations, ‘I don’t need his political commentary.’ No, you need my political commentary, you above all others,” Inside Higher Ed wrote.
Following the suspension, LSU spokesperson Todd Woodward issued a statement asserting the issue was not about academic freedom, but about creating an inclusive learning environment, Inside Higher Ed noted.
“There were multiple complaints about the professor’s remarks,” Woodward said. “Our investigation found Professor Levy created a classroom environment that was demeaning to students who do not hold his political views, threatening in terms of their grades, and profane,” Inside Higher Ed reported.
Gov. Landry also weighed in on social media last week, writing, “No judge would tolerate this conduct in their courtroom or any legal professional setting. It should not be tolerated at our taxpayer-funded universities either,” Inside Higher Ed noted.
The ruling marks the latest development in an ongoing debate over the limits of academic freedom and political expression in higher education, Inside Higher Ed wrote, adding Levy’s legal team has vowed to continue fighting the suspension, and LSU officials maintain the decision was necessary to ensure a respectful classroom environment.
