Identity of Speakers
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Darryl Rice
Faculty/Staff
OtherAssociate Professor at Miami University
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Lawsuit
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Litigation
State Campus Free Speech Act
Title IX or other federal statute
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Incident Status:
In litigation Federal District Court
Dismissed
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
On February 12, 2026, Darryl Rice, a tenured associate professor of management at Miami University, filed a lawsuit challenging the university’s decision to discontinue several diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) related offices, committees, programs, and events. The challenged changes followed Miami University’s implementation of Ohio’s Advance Ohio Higher Education Act (Senate Bill 1), which addressed DEI related programs at public universities. Rice had participated in DEI related teaching, research, and faculty service activities, including teaching courses on diversity and cross cultural management and participating in DEI related committees. He alleged that eliminating those programs affected his ability to fulfill faculty service responsibilities and violated his First Amendment rights.
In the lawsuit, Rice sought to restore certain discontinued DEI related entities and programs and asserted claims under the First Amendment, Fourteenth Amendment, Title VII, and Ohio law. He argued that the university’s actions restricted his ability to engage in protected speech and affected service opportunities that had previously counted toward his faculty obligations. Miami University argued that the changes involved institutional decisions about which programs, committees, and administrative structures the university would maintain, rather than restrictions on Rice’s individual speech or academic work.
On May 12, 2026, a federal district court dismissed Rice’s claims. The court concluded that Rice had not shown a constitutional injury because he remained employed, continued to teach and conduct research, and remained able to speak and publish about DEI related topics. The court found that the discontinuation of DEI related offices, committees, and programs was an institutional decision by the university and that the First Amendment did not require Miami University to maintain particular programs or faculty service opportunities. The court also rejected Rice’s argument that eliminating those programs prevented him from meeting service expectations, finding that he had not identified a concrete harm to his employment or service obligations.
