Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Rally or protest
Lawsuit
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Incident Political Orientation:
Left wing -
Incident Responses:
University investigation issuing in sanctions
Student sanctioned
Rally or Protests
Campus police
Other Law Enforcement
Litigation
Title IX or other federal statute
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Incident Status:
In litigation Federal District Court
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
On May 15, 2026, the University of Texas at Dallas chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP Dallas), several students, and other student activists filed a federal lawsuit against UTD administrators and UTD Police Department officers alleging that the university and law enforcement officials violated their constitutional rights in connection with campus protests, arrests, criminal charges, and disciplinary actions. The complaint alleged violations of the First and Fourteenth Amendments, including retaliation for protected speech, excessive force, malicious prosecution, and interference with freedom of association. Plaintiffs alleged that UTD officials and police “systematically suppress[ed]” pro-Palestinian speech.
The lawsuit followed a series of protests at UTD after the October 2023 outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war. On May 1, 2024, students and faculty members participated in a pro-Palestinian encampment protest on campus calling on the university to disclose and divest from investments connected to Israel. UTD officials issued notices stating that the encampment violated university rules, and police moved to clear the demonstration. Officers arrested approximately 20 people, including students and faculty members. Plaintiffs alleged that police used excessive force during the arrests, including physical restraints, and that university officials pursued criminal charges and disciplinary actions against protesters because of their viewpoints. The complaint alleged that the arrests were “retaliatory” and violated participants’ rights to free speech and assembly.
On May 16, 2025, students affiliated with SJP Dallas participated in a protest during UTD’s commencement ceremony while then University President Richard Benson delivered remarks. Demonstrators attended the ceremony wearing graduation regalia and raised signs and chants related to the Israel-Gaza war. Several protesters were removed from the event, and some later faced disciplinary proceedings. In 2026, UTD suspended the SJP Dallas chapter for one year, citing violations of university policies related to the commencement demonstration. Plaintiffs alleged that the suspension was connected to the group’s viewpoint and protest activity rather than a neutral enforcement of university rules.
The lawsuit named former UTD President Richard Benson, current UTD President Prabhas Moghe, other university administrators, and UTD police officers as defendants. Plaintiffs alleged that university officials and law enforcement officers took actions that violated students’ rights to free speech, assembly, and association, and that the university’s disciplinary actions against SJP Dallas were part of those alleged violations.
