Glass v. Paxton

Summary

University of Texas at Austin professors challenged a Texas statute permitting concealed carry of handguns on campus and a corresponding university policy prohibiting professors from banning such weapons in their classrooms. They alleged that the law and policy violated their First Amendment rights by chilling speech in their classrooms. They also brought 2nd amendment and 14th amendment claims. The district court dismissed the claim and the Fifth Circuit affirmed. The Fifth Circuit held the Glass and the other professors lacked standing on the First Amendment issue because they “cannot manufacture standing by self-censoring her speech based on what [they allege] to be a reasonable probability that concealed-carry license holders will intimidate professors and students in the classroom.”