Heilrayne, et al v. University of Texas at Austin

Summary

The American‑Arab Anti‑Discrimination Committee, with co‑counsel including the Muslim Legal Fund of America, Webber Law, and Project TAHA, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on April 30, 2025, on behalf of four current and former University of Texas at Austin students: Arwyn Heilrayne, Citlalli Soto‑Ferate, Iliana Medrano, and Mia Cisco. The complaint originally named the University of Texas at Austin, the UT System Board of Regents, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, former UT Austin President Jay Hartzell, and officers from the University of Texas Police Department and the Texas Department of Public Safety as defendants. Plaintiffs alleged that the defendants orchestrated mass arrests, used physical intimidation, and imposed retaliatory disciplinary actions against peaceful pro‑Palestinian protesters, violating the First Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The events giving rise to the lawsuit began on April 24, 2024, when students and supporters organized a pro‑Palestinian demonstration on campus. Law enforcement responded with a large mobilization, arresting 57 protesters. According to the complaint, officers tackled students, tightened zip ties causing bruises and numbness, and forcibly removed a Muslim student’s head covering. All criminal charges from the April 24 protest were later dropped for lack of probable cause. The protest had been hosted by UT’s Palestine Solidarity Committee amid a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations across U.S. campuses, and the plaintiffs allege they were targeted for expressing critical views of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Following the arrests, the university imposed disciplinary actions on students involved in the protests during April and May 2024. The complaint described these sanctions as punitive measures imposed after criminal charges were dismissed, including academic holds, suspensions, withholding of diplomas or transcripts, and threats of harsher penalties unless students participated in disciplinary hearings and agreed in writing to follow revised “Speech, Expression and Assembly” rules. Alleged infractions cited by the university included unauthorized use of amplified sound, masking to conceal identity, and disruption of learning.

In January 2026, a federal court allowed the core First Amendment claims to proceed, finding that the allegations of viewpoint‑based retaliation were plausible and warranted further examination. The judge dismissed claims against most defendants, including Governor Abbott and several law enforcement officers, but retained Kevin Eltife, chairman of the UT System Board of Regents, and current UT President Jim Davis as defendants, permitting continued litigation on the free speech elements of the case.