Several professors and teachers fired or suspended over posts about Charlie Kirk’s murder are now fighting back in court. They argue their free speech rights were trampled.
On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered the University of South Dakota to reinstate professor Michael Hook, at least for now. The board of regents had moved to fire him after his Facebook post about Kirk.
Hook, a tenured fine arts professor, wrote that he didn’t give a "flying f---" about Kirk, calling him a "hate-spreading Nazi." He deleted it three hours later. But his lawsuit says officials rushed to fire him after state leaders demanded his removal.
His complaint alleges the university retaliated against him for speaking out in his private capacity on a national issue. He claims it’s a clear violation of his First Amendment rights.
In Iowa, longtime art teacher Matthew Kargol filed a similar lawsuit. He was fired after writing "1 Nazi down" on Facebook following Kirk’s assassination.
Kargol says his remark was just "rhetorical hyperbole." His lawsuit argues he lost his job because of his viewpoint, not because of any classroom disruption or poor performance.
Kirk was gunned down at a Utah campus event on Sept. 10. The killing drew nationwide attention and sparked fiery debate.
Conservative groups and lawmakers quickly spotlighted educators who appeared to cheer the murder online. They demanded terminations, and many school districts complied.