A national Muslim advocacy group is suing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, arguing that his recent edict barring campus protests violates constitutional free speech rights.
The lawsuit accuses Abbott of specifically targeting pro-Palestinian student groups and critics of Israel on Texas college campuses in his March executive order, which purports to take stricter action against acts of antisemitism.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) argues that Abbott's order violates the First Amendment and wrongly equates advocacy for Palestinian liberation with antisemitism.
In particular, the governor's order profiles the Palestine Solidarity Committee and Students for Justice in Palestine, alleging policy violations that warrant discipline.
"Our community has a long history of opposing unjust policies that specifically target pro-Palestinian voices, and we fully intend to keep that winning history in place with this legal challenge," CAIR-Houston Director William White said in a statement.
CAIR is filing the lawsuit on behalf of Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Houston, Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Texas at Dallas, and the Democratic Socialists of America, the Texas Tribune reports.
Abbott's order mandates Texas universities to update free speech policies to combat increased antisemitic speech, with expulsion listed as a potential punishment. It also emphasizes the state's support for free speech. In addition, it details responsibilities, including that speech must not incite violence, encourage illegal activity, harass students or Texans, or disrupt the core educational purpose of a university.
The order was issued amid rising tensions over the Israel-Gaza war on college campuses nearly a month before the crackdown on protests at the the University of Texas at Austin, where demonstrators were forcibly removed by police in riot gear and on horses while attempting to build encampments on campus.
Two protesters were later arrested at the University of Texas at Houston, and 21 protesters were arrested at the University of Texas at Dallas.
