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It’s disheartening to think that the LSU system would treat a professor who has dedicated 16 years of service to LSU Law in this way. This treatment is not only unjust and unfair but, as others have noted, a violation of Professor Levy’s right to voice his opinion. At this point, those who pay tuition to attend LSU Law—and even other LSU institutions—deserve to know who is truly pulling the strings here. Is it merely a coincidence that, in less than three months, two of LSU Law’s esteemed professors have faced backlash for expressing their views?
As I understand it, there are rules in place that weaken First Amendment protections when professors are speaking to students; however, these rules have rarely been enforced in the past. We deserve to know why, all of a sudden, Jeff Landry, our Attorney General, and LSU are so eager to enforce these unreasonable rules.
We already know that Jeff Landry and Liz Murrill were behind the attempt to publicly shame Professor Bryner. I wonder who determined that one comment warranted a semester-long suspension for Professor Levy, an accomplished and tenured professor. Did LSU make the choice to suspend Levy on their own, or are they being pressured by our state leaders to do so? At this point, who knows? The level of retaliation these men have faced for simply voicing their opinions demonstrates a shift toward a dystopian environment at our school.
At this rate, how long will it be before professors are fired for discussing landmark cases like Roe v. Wade in their classrooms? Will academic freedom be entirely replaced by fear of political backlash?
I am deeply saddened to see LSU make the choice to turn against their own. I pray that Professor Levy receives the outcome he is seeking. I also hope that the person who reported him finds the time to reflect on their decision. How could anyone justify doing this to him after witnessing how Professor Bryner was treated?
Hopefully, this will be resolved swiftly and fairly in favor of our beloved professor. LSU Law is better than this. If we stand together, as we are doing now, opportunities will present themselves to restore our integrity, academic freedom, trust, respect, and reputation of LSU Law as a place where diverse ideas are valued and protected. We cannot stand by and watch. It’s time to take action and ensure that our voices are heard in defending the values that make our institution strong. Go Tigers.
Owen supported: Leave Levy Alone!Professor Levy is a person of great sense and compassion who’s now being targeted by an administration that appears to value neither. As someone who received an excellent legal education from LSU Law, I’ve often spoken of the school—and particularly its faculty—with pride. I’m no longer confident I’ll be able to continue doing so.
There were unhappy, defensive and misguided students (like the person who reported Dr. Levy’s remarks) at LSU during my time there, too. Back then though, the administration gently encouraged such students to learn to live with differing views instead of promoting and supporting them in malicious little schemes like this. We all learned the importance of being able to argue confidently, defend one’s position in the face of opposition, and receive criticism without feeling ashamed or getting angry. These are lessons that the person who reported Dr. Levy’s remarks could probably stand to learn. It’s a shame that this administration seems to have forgotten them.
Sophie supported: Leave Levy Alone!One main concern here is the abundance of misinformation and lack of useful credible information as it relates to the actual complaint/allegation and the "investigation proccess" that is to be occur. That a highly educated scholar teaching at one of the State's most prestigious law schools can be penalized without notice is frightening, and is in no way fair nor equitable.
Daniellepatrice supported: Leave Levy Alone!Free speech should never be stifled even if you don’t agree with the the speaker’s views
Jared supported: Leave Levy Alone!LSU Law is known for producing top-tier lawyers in and out of the state of Louisiana. It has the highest bar passage rate among all law schools within the state. However, actions like these jeopardize that reputation by driving away exceptional professors, like Professor Levy, in order to appease political leaders of the state that claim they champion “free speech”. By continuously silencing professors and subjecting them to state sanctioned attacks, LSU risks compromising the academic integrity and professional excellence that drives so many people to Death Valley. Not just as a former student, but as a LSU Law student, I strongly urge LSU to do the right thing and reinstate Professor Levy, issuing a formal apology to him and the public. The future of our education and the value and reputation of an LSU Law degree depends on immediate action.
Matia supported: Leave Levy Alone!I stand with Professor Ken Levy in this fight.
Indeed, the beauty of America and the First Amendment is the delicate, fragile promise that all citizens be able to engage in free discourse, dialogue, and, most importantly, critical thinking. This is especially true and necessary in a law school classroom, where spirited exchanges and logical policy discussions of all flavors are a necessary part of the Socratic method.
As such, a law professor should, and indeed must, challenge their students to think critically and question their own assumptions. To question not just their arguments, but the “why” behind each assertion? This is a cornerstone of a well-rounded legal education.
Any fight against free speech and free discourse in a classroom is a fight against us all, and I am happy to join Professor Levy, as I did for Professor Bryner, in defending their constitutional rights, but also their unique duties and obligations as law professors in a “Red State” law school.
And even though my political stance may be more closely aligned with where the complaint student stands, I do not share their apparent lack of character and cowardice. Free speech means supporting all speech, including hearing out others’ viewpoints.
-Signed, a Conservative and ’22 LSU Law Alumnus
Samuel supported: Leave Levy Alone!LSU Law is a graduate institution. The fact that professors are being blocked from having different opinions from our current government is crazy. The law is inherently political and relies on a difference of opinion to be created in a democratic government, which is what I thought this state had. I hope this embarrassment to the school and the state is resolved quickly, so that professor levy and all the professors at LSU Law can return to teaching in classrooms where they have continually created the top bar passage rates in the states and helped mold professional and highly intelligent lawyers over the past decades. Past graduates of LSU who created this environment of excellence current students and faculty work to uphold all learned in a free thinking environment that the people responsible for this are working to destroy. Let our professors teach. Please.
Maggie supported: Leave Levy Alone!As a student at LSU, who, to be frank, has never met Professor Levy, I sympathize with those that know him personally and I believe that it was wrong for him to be removed for sharing his opinion. We all come from different backgrounds and places in the world. Everyone's lives look different, so naturally, we are going to have different opinions on various topics. The idea of discussing Politics was always a double edged sword to me. However, i have nothing but respect for those that have no fear in expressing their opinion on matters that affect a lot of people, and are willing to stand their ground.
I'll be completely honest myself and say that everything leading up to and after Trump's inauguration has been a bit of a disaster. From the controversial executive orders on his very first day, to his friend Elon doing a n**i salute, many people across the country are either angry or scared about what else could happen during the next 4 years. And it's only natural that people like Professor Levy would express their opinion about the situation, it's one of the more divisive elections in recent history. If a professor from LSU's law school can be thrown out from just sharing his opinion, who's to say that it wouldn't be possible for further efforts at censorship, which could extend to the student body, to appear? If a law school class isn't allowed to debate about the most recent president, then what ARE they allowed to debate about? Differentiating opinions are the basis of our culture, how some of the biggest movements in the world, such as The Civil Rights movement and various revolutions, were formed. It's in our very nature to argue for our place in society, because without our voice, we are nothing except an empty hollow. Something is changing in the world, and I fear the worst could occur. To anyone that reads this, fight for your freedoms and liberties AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE! We cannot allow events such as this to become commonplace because if it does, who knows what else the government could do to us.
Matthew supported: Leave Levy Alone!I took every class Professor Levy teaches at LSU he is a great teacher and person and extremely funny and caring about his students. LSU Law would not be the same if he left.
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