Identity of Speakers
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Jeff Landry
Unaffiliated
OtherGovernor of Louisiana
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Nicholas Bryner
Faculty/Staff
OtherLSU Law Professor
Additional Information
-
Incident Nature:
Classroom
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Staff Sanctioned
University administration invoked formal speech code in response
University administration changed university policy as a consequence
-
Incident Status:
No litigation
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
On October 1, 2024, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed an executive order tasking the state Board of Regents with protecting free speech on college campuses. The order emphasized that public universities must preserve traditional public forums for speech, particularly outdoor spaces, and required annual reporting on free speech incidents. Landry framed the move as a way to ensure that “all voices — including conservative voices — are welcomed and protected,” responding to what he described as a “culture of censorship” in higher education.
Less than two months later, on November 27, 2024, Landry publicly called on Louisiana State University to punish law professor Nicholas Bryner, accusing him of “attacking students who voted for President-elect Donald Trump” based on brief classroom remarks caught on video. Bryner denied disparaging students and said his remarks had been taken out of context, sparking debate about academic freedom and political interference. Landry’s demand was seen by many as an effort to “intimidate” faculty and “control the narrative” on campus.
In February 2025, LSU’s Board of Supervisors adopted a revised free speech and expression policy that significantly tightened restrictions on faculty speech. The new policy declared that “academic settings are not traditional public forums” and prohibited professors from “imposing political views on students” or encouraging student participation in political protests. LSU officials argued that the changes were necessary to “balance free speech rights with the need to maintain a respectful learning environment.” Critics, however, warned that the vague language could chill open classroom discussion and “restrict professors’ freedom,” raising concerns about censorship and administrative overreach.
The policy revision came amid protests and heated debate at the board meeting where it was approved. Students and faculty linked the changes to the political controversies involving Professors Bryner and Ken Levy (Levy was suspended for making vulgar comments defending Bryner and criticizing Landry).
