A judge dismissed American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana’s lawsuit on Wednesday that challenged former Gov. Eric Holcomb’s 2024 higher education bill.
ACLU filed the lawsuit in September 2024 against IU and Purdue University for policies incurred from SEA 202 that was signed into law in March 2024.
The bill included an increase in “intellectual diversity” among higher education, requiring university boards of trustees to enact policies prohibiting faculty members from receiving tenure or promotions if they were deemed unlikely to foster free inquiry and expression or to offer students learning material from a variety of standpoints.
The ACLU claimed the policies “infringe upon faculty members’ free speech and academic freedom, violating the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution.”
Judge Richard L. Young ruled against the lawsuit, citing a lack of consequences for professors from universities. Stevie J. Pactor, ACLU staff attorney, issued a statement in September 2024 announcing “One of our plaintiffs has already been the subject of multiple student complaints under the new university policy, all of which were ultimately dismissed. Professors should never be put in the position of choosing between their careers and their academic freedom.”
The bill received backlash from IU and Purdue professors after several wrote a joint statement in February 2024 opposing it. They wrote the bill “mandates a system of surveillance and political scrutiny that will instead stifle the free flow of ideas.”
In a statement to the IDS, ACLU Communications Manager Laura Forbes said they are disappointed in the decision and are considering their options.
