Florida Bars State Professors From Testifying in Voting Rights Case

[Tony_FLADEM]

After being hired as expert witnesses for groups opposing a restrictive voting law, three University of Florida academics were told they could not participate in the lawsuit against the state.

Three University of Florida professors have been barred from assisting plaintiffs in a lawsuit to overturn the state’s new law restricting voting rights, lawyers said in a federal court filing in Friday. The ban is an extraordinary limit on speech that raises questions of academic freedom and First Amendment rights.

University officials told the three that because the school was a state institution, participating in a lawsuit against the state “is adverse to U.F.’s interests” and could not be permitted. In their filing, the professors sought to question Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, on whether he was involved in the decision.

Mr. DeSantis has resisted questioning, arguing that all of his communications about the law are protected from disclosure because discussions about legislation are privileged. In their filing on Friday, lawyers for the plaintiffs said the federal questions in the case — including whether the law discriminates against minority groups — override any state protections.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/us/florida-professors-voting-rights-lawsuit.html

[Botany]

1. ATTN Professors and their lawyers

1st amendment and academic freedom of speech issues.
You will make real money and help to crush DeSantis too.


Republicans are trying to bully their way to control and they need smacked down bad. This is America not some dictatorship and we need to stop this tin horn dictatorship
right now.

[OrlandoDem2]

2. UF made a deal with the devil (GOP governor/legislature) to move up in rankings.

Now look at it. The Surgeon General is a Desantis toadie and UF employee. Now UF gets stabbed in the back.

How embarrassing for them.

There are other schools to attend and at this point I’d strongly suggest it.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. Foundation for Individual Rights in Education statement on the University of Florida decision

Link to tweet

FIRE statement on University of Florida decision to prevent professors from testifying in voting rights lawsuit
by FIRE

October 30, 2021
FIRE is deeply concerned by a report in The New York Times that the University of Florida has barred three professors from participating as witnesses in a voting rights lawsuit against the state of Florida.

FIRE has said it before, and we’ll say it again: The profound civic importance of fair trials requires the ability of fact and expert witnesses to come forward to testify truthfully without fear that their government employer might retaliate against them. Public university faculty are no exception. We call on UF to reverse course immediately.

UF should be aware that Plymouth State University’s ill-considered decision to punish faculty who had testified in a trial ultimately cost the state of New Hampshire’s taxpayers $350,000. FIRE warned Plymouth State then, and we’re warning UF now: If you pick a fight with the First Amendment, you will lose.