A federal judge blocked restrictions that prevented faculty at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point from speaking to outside groups without prior approval.
U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel sided with a West Point law professor who argued that the Trump-era “Academic Engagement Policy” violated professors’ First Amendment rights. The policy required faculty members to obtain permission before attending events, speaking publicly, or publishing papers in their official capacity.
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Seibel, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, said the government failed to justify the restrictions on speech.
“A court need not defer to mere conjecture and speculation, even when matters of military readiness could be implicated,” Seibel wrote in the ruling.
West Point adopted the policy shortly after President Donald Trump took office in 2025 as part of an executive order barring military academies from promoting what the administration described as “un-American” and “discriminatory” theories. The effort was part of the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion across the federal government.
Under the policy, faculty members were required to obtain department head approval before engaging with outside audiences on subjects within their academic expertise while on duty or using West Point branding or affiliation. The restrictions applied to conferences, media interviews, podcasts, and other public appearances.
The class-action lawsuit, brought by Professor David Bakken in September, argued that the policy led to heightened scrutiny of course materials and books at military academies.
“This is an action that seeks to defend and protect the fundamental right to freedom of speech, as embodied in the First Amendment to the Constitution, and the right to academic freedom, which is essential to a robust marketplace of ideas, an educated citizenry, and the flourishing of our republic,” the lawsuit states.
Seibel’s ruling applies only to civilian professors and does not block enforcement of the policy against faculty members serving on active duty.
HEGSETH PRAISES WEST POINT CADETS AS ‘NOT AN ARMY OF WOKE’ IN COMMENCEMENT SPEECH
Last week, Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the administration’s broader effort to refocus military training priorities.
“We must train exactly like we fight, and that means real, practical warfighting skills. It means lethality,” Hegseth said. “Let me be perfectly clear: you are not an army of one, and you are certainly not an army of woke. You are an American army, an army of warriors.”
