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Lawprof’s First Amendment Case Against Univ. of Kentucky, and a Case’s “Journey so Circuitous it Would Make a Baggins Blush”
A University of Kentucky law professor is challenging the university’s investigation and removal from teaching duties, arguing that its actions punish his speech about Israel and Palestine. A federal judge is considering his request to halt the investigation and restore his teaching role, in a case whose procedural route through the courts has been unusually drawn out.
Ramsi Woodcock, a tenured professor, was promoted to full professor in July 2025, then called in for questioning the following week. The university opened a formal investigation over alleged comments made in various settings, including emails, a conference panel and remarks to students; the article says none occurred in class or appears to have disrupted university activities. The investigation cited possible policy violations and concerns about a hostile environment, while Woodcock’s lawsuit also alleges due process violations and discrimination. The Sixth Circuit ruled that the preliminary investigation did not qualify as an ongoing proceeding requiring federal abstention, sending the case back to the district court.
In short
- Professor Ramsi Woodcock is contesting a University of Kentucky investigation.
- He says the university’s actions retaliated against his speech.
- The Sixth Circuit returned the case to federal court.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Woodcock’s strongest case is that a public university should not investigate or remove a tenured professor from teaching because of protected views on a contested political issue, particularly where the reported remarks were outside class and did not appear to disrupt university activities. He can argue that the investigation and loss of teaching duties chill academic freedom and his First Amendment rights, while the alleged lack of due process warrants judicial scrutiny.
The case against
The university’s strongest case is that it has a responsibility to investigate credible complaints and enforce policies intended to protect students and staff from discrimination or a hostile environment, even when the reported speech concerns a politically charged subject. It can argue that an investigation is a preliminary fact-finding step, not a final finding of misconduct or punishment, and that courts should allow the university to assess the allegations and apply its policies through proper procedures.