Identity of Speakers
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Zoe Johnson
Student
OtherUniversity of Colorado student and member of member of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) campus affiliate.
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Lawsuit
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Incident Political Orientation:
Right wing -
Incident Responses:
Student sanctioned
University administration invoked formal speech code in response
Faculty responses (e.g., asking student to leave classroom)
Litigation
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Incident Status:
In litigation Federal District Court
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
In February 2025, Zoe Johnson, a member of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) at the University of Colorado Boulder, filed a federal lawsuit against the university after facing disciplinary action for expressing conservative viewpoints during class discussions. Johnson’s comments addressed topics including free speech, race, and LGBTQ+ issues, which some students found offensive. Following complaints, the professor and university officials required Johnson to attend an “educational” meeting through the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC), with the threat that failure to attend would block her from registering for classes. The lawsuit alleges these actions constituted retaliation, violating her First Amendment rights. The suit names university officials, including the Associate Vice Chancellor for OIEC and the professor involved, as defendants.
