West Point hit with lawsuit by professor alleging free speech violation

23/9/2025 13:24

The longest-ever serving law professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point is suing the elite Army institution over an alleged violation of his free-speech rights under the U.S. Constitution, according to a lawsuit filed on Monday.



The lawsuit is the latest allegation of suppression of speech and the free-flow of ideas at U.S. military's academies since President Donald Trump returned to office in January, and follows cases of books on topics including race and gender being pulled from U.S. military academy libraries over their contents.



Tim Bakken, a civilian law professor, filed the lawsuit in a federal court in New York seeking class action status against West Point leadership and accusing the academy of "censoring and suppressing speech on the basis of its content and viewpoint."



Bakken's lawsuit alleges that West Point issued an "Academic Engagement Policy" on February 13 which requires faculty to get prior approval before speaking publicly or publishing in an official capacity.