Colleges Seek to Balance Safety and Students’ Right to Protest Gaza War

Since the war began, colleges and universities have struggled to balance campus safety with free speech rights amid intense student debate and protests.

Pro-Palestinian Protests Sweep US College Campuses Following Arrests at Columbia

Schools sought to diffuse tensions over Israel’s war with Hamas while struggling with where to draw the line between allowing free expression while maintaining campus safety.

USC ‘Redesigning’ Commencement Amid Campus Controversy Over Israel-Hamas War

The university’s decision was met with praise from pro-Israel organizations but condemnation from free speech groups and the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Judge in Trump Case Orders Media Not To Report Where Potential Jurors Work

Generally, the First Amendment bars judges from ordering journalists not to disclose what they hear and see in courtrooms open to the public, though there are exceptions.

Police Arrest Dozens of Pro-Palestinian Protesters at Columbia University

Several students involved in the protest said they also were suspended from Columbia and Barnard College, including Isra Hirsi, daughter of Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.

House Passes Legislation That Would Ban TikTok in US Unless Chinese Owner Sells Stake

TikTok has spent $5 million on TV ads opposing the legislation, according to an advertising tracking firm, with some arguing a ban would trample on the First Amendment.

Citing Safety, USC Cancels Speech by Valedictorian Who Supported Palestinians

A First Amendment attorney expressed concern about cancelling events that could be perceived as censorship, and the possibility of other schools buckling to pressure.

Columbia’s President Testifies Before Congress on Campus Conflicts Over Israel-Hamas War

She took a more decisive stance than the presidents of Harvard and the UPenn, who gave lawyerly answers when asked if calls for the genocide of Jews would violate school policies.