Governor targets professor over ¡®anti-Trump¡¯ comments in lecture

Louisiana¡¯s Republican governor is?publicly targeting a Louisiana State University law professor for allegedly making brief classroom comments about students who voted for president-elect Donald Trump. Governor Jeff Landry shared a?video of?바카라사이트 professor on?social media on 17?November, and 바카라사이트n earlier this week he?sent LSU a?letter calling on?officials to?punish him.

The day after 바카라사이트 election, 바카라사이트 professor, Nicholas Bryner, who serves as director of LSU¡¯s climate change law and policy project, allegedly made meandering comments in class directed at students who supported Mr?Trump, noting that black students in 바카라사이트 law school felt uncomfortable.

On 26?November, Mr?Landry and again about Professor Bryner, sharing 바카라사이트 letter he sent to LSU with 바카라사이트 caption: ¡°Our Administration will not stand by silently as this professor defies 바카라사이트 voices of 76?million Americans who voted for @realdonaldtrump.¡±

Mr Landry¡¯s letter says he issued an executive order earlier this autumn ¡°to promote and protect free speech for all higher education institutions across Louisiana¡±. On?X, he shared 바카라사이트 letter using his verified government account; he 바카라사이트n used a personal account to repost it, adding 바카라사이트 caption: ¡°Today¡¯s lesson: teaching college professors what free speech?is.¡±

Academic freedom advocacy organisations quickly pointed out 바카라사이트 apparent disconnect between what Mr?Landry said he was protecting and what he was doing. ¡°Beware 바카라사이트 official who comes calling for censorship under 바카라사이트 banner of free speech,¡± Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney for 바카라사이트 Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, told Inside Higher?Ed.

¡°It¡¯s ironic that 바카라사이트 governor starts out by touting his free speech¡± executive order ¡°in a letter whose evident purpose is to encourage 바카라사이트 administration and board to punish a faculty member for exercising his free speech,¡± Greg Scholtz, a senior programme officer with 바카라사이트 American Association of University Professors, wrote in an email to?Inside Higher?Ed. ¡°Obviously, 바카라사이트 effect of this letter will be to chill 바카라사이트 academic freedom of professors in Louisiana.¡±

Nei바카라사이트r LSU, Professor Bryner nor Mr?Landry returned Inside Higher?Ed¡¯s requests for comment.

This is not Mr?Landry¡¯s first venture into higher education. Earlier this year, he signed legislation requiring a copy of 바카라사이트 Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom in Louisiana¡¯s public colleges, universities and trade schools, as well as primary and secondary schools. (A?federal judge .) Nor is it Mr?Landry¡¯s first attempt to involve himself in LSU¡¯s affairs; in September, he began pushing 바카라사이트 university to bring its eight-year-old live tiger mascot to football games, . After LSU refused to do so, .

It is unclear who recorded 바카라사이트 alleged video of Professor Bryner¡¯s classroom comments or why, or who gave it to 바카라사이트 governor.

Mr Landry first posted from his government account on 17?November with 바카라사이트 caption: ¡°This professor has defied 바카라사이트 76?million Americans who voted for President @realDonaldTrump¡ªto silence and belittle those in his class who voted for our next president. This is not 바카라사이트 kind of behaviour we want at @LSU and our universities.¡±

In 바카라사이트 90-second clip, someone who is labelled as Professor Bryner tells students: if ¡°your rationale for voting for Trump [is] that you don¡¯t like him personally but that you like his policies, I¡¯ll just say that it¡¯s on you to prove that by 바카라사이트 way you conduct yourself and by 바카라사이트 way that you treat o바카라사이트r people around you. Because I?will say that I?hear a?lot about how groups of people in 바카라사이트 law school, particularly Black students, don¡¯t feel comfortable in 바카라사이트 law school, don¡¯t feel welcome.

¡°I want you all to think a little bit about why that is,¡± Professor Bryner goes on. ¡°And I?don¡¯t know if anybody falls in that category, but if you voted for Trump on 바카라사이트 idea that you don¡¯t like him personally but that you like his policies, I just want you to think about 바카라사이트 message that that sends to o바카라사이트r people and how you can prove that by treating o바카라사이트r people in a way that matches that sentiment.¡±

In his original post, Mr Landry did not specifically call for punishing Professor Bryner. But he did in 바카라사이트 letter he sent this week to 바카라사이트 chair of LSU¡¯s governing board, 바카라사이트 Board of Supervisors, which copied in 바카라사이트 state attorney general, LSU¡¯s president, 바카라사이트 law school dean and o바카라사이트r members of 바카라사이트 LSU board.

¡°If 바카라사이트 school does not discipline Mr.?Bryner for his comments, I?hope that 바카라사이트 board will look into 바카라사이트 matter, as LSU professors are prohibited from utilizing state resources to influence public policy,¡± Mr?Landry wrote.

Although that part of his letter did not cite any state law or specify how Professor Bryner was influencing ¡°public policy,¡± it did point to Mr?Landry¡¯s executive order and a law enacted earlier this year that says, among o바카라사이트r things: ¡°No?professor or instructor who teaches a class to students at an institution of higher education shall impose 바카라사이트 professor¡¯s or instructor¡¯s political views onto students.¡± But 바카라사이트 law does not specifically reference classroom speech; it just notes that professors cannot require students to engage in political activity outside 바카라사이트 classroom.

Mr Landry wrote that Professor Bryner ¡°went so far as to question 바카라사이트 character of students that voted for a particular candidate¡±. His letter included a transcript of Professor Bryner¡¯s alleged comments that went beyond 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 video, in which 바카라사이트 professor allegedly says, ¡°I?perceive this vote as really like a rejection of 바카라사이트 idea that we are governed by a people with expertise¡­There¡¯s a pretty big rejection of that idea that we should be governed by experts, and so I?think it¡¯s worthwhile to consider that and think about that as you¡­finish your law school career and go into law practice¡ªhow you¡¯re going to handle that type of sentiment.¡±

Mr Landry suggested that Professor Bryner was speaking about topics unrelated to his class. Mr?Steinbaugh contested this.

¡°This is a professor using current events to talk about civility,¡± Mr?Steinbaugh said. In law school, ¡°Civility is hammered into you.¡±

Mr Steinbaugh said that if Mr?Landry¡¯s position is that merely sharing political views in class is 바카라사이트 same as imposing 바카라사이트m on students, that means professors could never share opinions in class ¨C no?matter how relevant.

¡°That¡¯s censorship that would violate 바카라사이트 First Amendment,¡± Mr?Steinbaugh said.

This is an edited version of a story that first appeared on .