National Free Speech News & Commentary

The Harvard of the South … Of the West?

The Harvard of the South … Of the West?

Rose Horowitch February 19, 2026 1 min read

Vanderbilt University, in Nashville, is the sort of highly selective institution that jockeys for the unofficial title of Harvard of the South. Recently, the university’s chancellor had a new idea: What if Vanderbilt was also in San Francisco? Maybe it could become the Harvard of the West too.

This new tactic, pioneered by Northeastern University a few years ago, is taking the satellite-campus concept to its logical extreme: the national-chain model of undergraduate education. If it works for Vanderbilt, other selective institutions are likely to follow.

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He refused to censor his syllabus — so Texas Tech cancelled his class

He refused to censor his syllabus — so Texas Tech cancelled his class

Graham Piro February 19, 2026 1 min read

Texas Tech leaders have somehow convinced themselves that race and gender are not legitimate topics to discuss in a psychology class. That’s absurd on its face: You can’t teach human behavior while treating basic dimensions of human identity as off-limits.

Will Crescioni, a lecturer in Texas Tech’s Department of Psychological Sciences, submitted his course materials for his honors-level psychology course the same day the Texas Tech system issued a memo ordering universities to review courses and ensure faculty do not “promote or otherwise inculcate” certain ideas related to race and gender. Just over a month later — and only two days before the semester began — his course was scrapped. His offense? Refusing to alter his course content.

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Model Legislation to Reform Faculty Accountability in Higher Education

Model Legislation to Reform Faculty Accountability in Higher Education

John D. Sailer, Tal Fortgang ‘17 February 18, 2026 1 min read

The Manhattan Institute offers a simple proposal: state legislatures should expand oversight of their public universities. With powers clarified by lawmakers and a new mandate to exercise their existing powers, university board members can act as a counterweight to the excesses of university faculty and administrators—specifically, through greater involvement in the hiring of administrators, the approval of faculty lines, and the creation of core curricula.

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US justice department sues Harvard over admissions records access

US justice department sues Harvard over admissions records access

Lucy Campbell February 18, 2026 1 min read

The Department of Justice filed a new lawsuit against Harvard University, accusing it of failing to hand over documents and comply with a federal investigation into alleged racial discrimination in its admissions process, in the latest escalation of Donald Trump’s long-running legal pursuit of the nation’s oldest university.

Harvard stressed in a statement that it was responding to inquiries “in good faith” and prepared to engage “according to the process required by law”.

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Mistrial declared in case of students charged after Stanford pro-Palestinian protests

Mistrial declared in case of students charged after Stanford pro-Palestinian protests

Kanishka Singh February 18, 2026 1 min read

A judge declared a mistrial on Friday in a case of five current and former Stanford University students related to the 2024 pro-Palestinian protests when demonstrators barricaded themselves inside the school president's office.

The case was tried in Santa Clara County Superior Court against five defendants charged with felony vandalism and felony conspiracy to trespass. The rest previously accepted plea deals or diversion programs. The jury was deadlocked. It voted nine to three to convict on the felony charge of vandalism and eight to four to convict on the felony charge to trespass. Jurors failed to reach a verdict after deliberations.

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Free speech lawsuits mount after Charlie Kirk assassination

Free speech lawsuits mount after Charlie Kirk assassination

Martin Kaste February 13, 2026 1 min read

Five months after the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, a wave of lawsuits reveals how Americans were investigated, fired, and in one case, arrested for their online reactions to his death.

The most dramatic case involves Larry Bushart, a retired police officer in Lexington, Tenn. A self-described progressive and "keyboard warrior," he'd been posting memes that mocked Republican officials' mourning over Kirk. Then local police came to his door.

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