Ramzi Woodcock stated in the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, that the investigation is baseless and was driven by political pressure from state legislators to take stringent actions against anti-Semitism in universities. The complaint claims that the investigation led to a crackdown on free speech at the University of Kentucky, and Woodcock requested the court to rule that the recently adopted Kentucky state law aimed at combating campus anti-Semitism violates the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit stated, “Faculty members are afraid to protest against Professor Woodcock’s suspension, students are scared to speak about Palestine, and some are considering leaving the university as a result.” University spokesperson Jay Blanton said on Friday that Woodcock was not suspended but “reassigned” to other duties during the investigation, which began in July. Blanton mentioned that faculty members’ right to free speech “does not extend to creating a hostile environment for others.”
Woodcock is at least the third American law professor to be prohibited from teaching or dismissed since January due to his ties with the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza and the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Debates over free speech in universities intensified during President Donald Trump’s second term, as his administration tightened measures against protests under the pretext of combating anti-Semitism.
Woodcock stated in his complaint that he began openly expressing his opposition to “Israeli colonialism” since early 2024, including publishing a “petition for military action against Israel” online and sharing his views through faculty email lists at the law school. He added that he did not present his views on Israel within classroom settings. The lawsuit mentioned that the university reported his investigation in July, following the state legislators’ approval of a law related to campus anti-Semitism in April.
