Kentucky's Attorney General Takes Fight Against Anti-Semitism on College Campuses to U.S. Supreme Court

Stop public university professors from hiding behind ‘academic freedom

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced  he and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall are leading a 13-state coalition to stop public university professors from hiding behind ‘academic freedom’ even if they spew antisemitic hate speech.

In a brief filed Monday, General Coleman asked the United States Supreme Court to rule that university professors do not have special, sacrosanct First Amendment rights not applicable to any other public employee. The First Amendment does not protect speech made by state employees in their official capacity.

This action supports General Coleman’s previous efforts at defending a state law directing Kentucky’s public universities to combat the spread of antisemitism. The University of Kentucky placed law professor Ramsi Woodcock under investigation about whether he used his official and taxpayer-funded capacity to call for “violence against Israel, the genocide of the Israeli people who are predominantly Jewish, and the ultimate destruction of Israel.”

Last week, a Kentucky federal judge denied Woodcock’s request for an order to halt UK’s investigation.

The brief argues academic freedom applies only to the universities themselves, not individual professors. Like other publicly paid employees, university professors only receive First Amendment protections when speaking as a private citizen on a matter of public importance while not in one’s official capacity.

“Every American has the right to free speech and expression. “However, the Constitution is clear that the States do not have to subsidize antisemitic speech on their college campuses.” said Attorney General Coleman. “Our Office will continue to stomp out the scourge of antisemitism in our Commonwealth and our nation.”

Kentucky and Alabama led the coalition at the Supreme Court and were joined by: Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, and Texas. 

Solicitor General Matt Kuhn filed the brief on behalf of the Commonwealth.

Read the full brief here.

Background:

In July, Solicitor General Kuhn argued in support of the Kentucky Law at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, one level below SCOTUS after filing the brief in April.

In 2025, the General Assembly passed Senate Joint Resolution 55, directing Kentucky’s public universities to adopt policies to “combat antisemitism within their institutions.” The law reports that from 2022 to 2024 there was a 200% increase in reported instances of antisemitism on American college campuses. 

In reliance on those guidelines, the University of Kentucky temporarily suspended the teaching duties of law professor Ramsi Woodcock in July 2025. According to court documents, Woodcock allegedly called for “violence against Israel, the genocide of the Israeli people who are predominantly Jewish, and the ultimate destruction of Israel.” General Coleman’s brief made it clear the First Amendment does not prohibit UK from investigating Woodcock for “creating a hostile environment for Jewish students.” 

In a previous letter to the UK community, President Eli Capilouto called the professor’s statements “repugnant.”  The letter went on to say, “…we are obligated to act to protect our community and our people.”

Read more about the action taken by the Office of the Attorney General here.