The LSU Law Center pictured on March 20, 2023, in Baton Rouge. (Matthew Perschall for Louisiana Illuminator)
A group of LSU students held a protest Tuesday outside the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, demanding professor Ken Levy be reinstated following his removal from the classroom pending an investigation into alleged political comments he made.
“Political conformity is being demanded,” law student Kristen Graham-Winkles said at the protest. “Intellectual diversity is being crushed, and dissent is being punished. How valuable is admission and graduation from an institution that is unabashedly taken with these actions?”
It was announced last week that Levy, a tenured professor in criminal and constitutional law, would be removed from his classes pending an investigation into his alleged comments, though Law Center Dean Alena Allen and LSU spokesman Todd Woodward declined to answer questions regarding what comment led to the investigation.
At the protest, which around 30 students attended and several faculty members observed, Graham-Winkles said she and other students in Levy’s class did not find anything he said to be inappropriate.
“We were there to witness that Professor Levy didn’t do anything wrong,” she said. “If you listen to the recording, you hear him expressing his opinion on our governor, and then the class laughing. No misconduct, no violation of any policy, just a different opinion.”
Matthew Broussard, a third-year law student who attended the rally, said in an interview that law students should be able to handle a differing opinion.
“If you can’t handle hearing something you don’t like, you need to get another job,” Broussard said. “This is one of the most antagonistic jobs that I could think of.”
Jack Harrison, a law professor who watched the protest, said he appreciated the students standing up for his colleague.
Levy has referred questions to his attorney, Jill Craft, who said in an interview last week he intends to fight the reprimand from the law school.
“We cannot live and exist in a country where people are punished because of their opinions, their thoughts and their words,” Craft said. “This is particularly true in the area of academic freedom. If we take that away, it takes away the cornerstone of this democracy. And then we don’t have one anymore.”
After several students spoke outside the law center, they marched to the LSU administration building to deliver a petition to LSU President William Tate demanding Levy be reinstated and receive an apology from Tate.
LSU General Counsel Winston DeCuir met the students outside the building to accept the petition and said Tate was unable to meet the students himself.
DeCuir told students that what they were doing is important, and that he took part in similar activities when he was in law school. DeCuir is a 1998 graduate of LSU Law.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.