Identity of Speakers
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Lauren Stokes
Faculty/Staff
OtherExecutive assistant to the vice chancellor for development at the University of Mississippi
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Lawsuit
Social media
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Staff Sanctioned
State Campus Free Speech Act
Title IX or other federal statute
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Incident Status:
In litigation Federal District Court
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
On October 21, 2025, Lauren Stokes, an executive assistant at the University of Mississippi, filed a federal lawsuit against Chancellor Glenn Boyce, claiming her September 11 termination violated her First Amendment rights. The complaint alleges that the university engaged in viewpoint discrimination by firing her for sharing a social media post in a private capacity, and it seeks declaratory and injunctive relief. Stokes’s filing details the social media post, the university’s response, and the harassment she and her family faced following her dismissal.
On September 10, 2025, Stokes reposted a message online following Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The post referred to Kirk as a white supremacist and “reimagined Klan member” and stated, “I have no prayers to offer Kirk or respectable statements against violence.” The next day, September 11, the University of Mississippi terminated her employment, calling her remarks hurtful and insensitive and saying they conflicted with the institution’s values of civility, fairness, and respect for others.
Stokes’s firing drew widespread attention after Mississippi State Auditor Shad White highlighted her post online and criticized it. In announcing the termination, the university emphasized its responsibility to maintain a campus culture that is civil and respectful. Stokes and her family also faced harassment, including negative attention toward their family-owned restaurant in Oxford.
Stokes’s case unfolded amid a national pattern of disciplinary actions at universities and other institutions in response to statements about Kirk that were seen as celebratory or disparaging. The United Campus Workers of Mississippi criticized the university’s decision, arguing that staff should be free to speak as private citizens on matters of public concern. In his public statement, Chancellor Glenn F. Boyce said the university must uphold its values of civility and respect while also extending prayers and sympathy to the Kirk family and others affected by the event. The lawsuit asserts that Stokes’s post did not disrupt university operations and that she was punished solely for expressing a particular viewpoint. The case names Chancellor Boyce as the defendant and requests that the court recognize her speech as constitutionally protected while granting any other relief deemed appropriate.
