Free speech isn’t free at Texas universities. Apparently, it comes with strings attached, or at least that’s what I was told when I tried to host a pro-life event that got so derailed, I had to call on Students for Life of America’s (SFLA) attorneys for a demand letter to try and get it back on track.
It’s not just me. Students at the University of Texas, both at Dallas and Austin, are suing the University of Texas system after being censored when schools used a Texas law as an excuse to limit free speech on college campuses. While the law is not currently enforceable, college campuses across Texas are still holding strong to their censorship regime — and it’s up to students to stand up for their rights.
My story began when I tried to host a speaker on campus at the University of Texas as part of my SFLA activities. Rather than welcoming pro-life voices, the university demanded almost complete disassociation from SFLA for the event to go on, which made the event itself virtually impossible.
More specifically, the office told my group that our event could not include branded or promotional materials featuring both the outside organization and my student organization, Horns for Life; help managing the event; filming for social media; or co-sponsorship with SFLA or any off-campus organization.
That not only impacted my free speech rights, but my freedom of association, too.
In 2019, when Texas passed Senate Bill 18, it reinforced Supreme Court precedent that outdoor campus spaces are public forums, thereby ensuring free speech protections at universities. In a total betrayal of these values, Texas passed Senate Bill 2972, or the Campus Protection Act, in September 2025 under the guise of protecting campuses from disruptions and preserving safety during “end-of-term” periods and even during specific times of the day.
The Campus Protection Act stopped students from engaging in acts of speech between 10 pm and 8 am, as well as from bringing guest speakers, amplifying sound, or using percussive instruments at demonstrations in the final two weeks of each semester. It is extremely broad, even disallowing student speech in private conversations, whether in dorm rooms or outdoor meeting spaces.
“The First Amendment doesn’t set when the sun goes down,” said FIRE senior supervising attorney JT Morris. “University students have expressive freedom whether it’s midnight or midday, and Texas can’t just legislate those constitutional protections out of existence.”
The bill was so unprecedented and broad that the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas issued an injunction stopping the law from being enforced only a month later.
Despite the injunction, Texas universities continue to use these rules at the campus policy level. UT Austin cites SB 2972 as a justification for their policy that “states that a guest speaker may not staff a table or set up exhibits.”
Not only is pro-life speech being targeted, but religious speech and expression as well.
A group of students has sued the UT system and its various representatives on behalf of their Texas college groups, including The Fellowship of Christian University Students at UT-Dallas, after they were prevented from bringing a minister to campus to pray for them during their class finals.
Texas Woman’s University enacted regulations on free speech, calling it a “limited public forum.” The school placed limits on the times, places, and methods in which students can demonstrate on campus while telling them “nothing in this policy may be construed to limit or infringe on a person’s right to freedom protected by the United States and Texas Constitutions,” as if the rules do not inherently do exactly this. Texas Tech University’s Lubbock campus also has similar rules now coming under fire.
While it is always advisable to follow campus rules, that does not mean Texas students cannot challenge them in the courts or otherwise.
Disallowing all guest speakers, claiming a limited public forum, imposing time limits, and limiting amplified sound all have precedent for being deemed impermissible in certain circumstances, especially if the university is using Senate Bill 2972 as an excuse to enforce these rules.
Using field representatives or coordinators from affiliate organizations to assist students in challenging university decisions against student organizations is a great first step. SFLA staff are equipped and eager to help our students. Additionally, reaching out to organizations like FIRE allows student groups without resources from a larger organization to seek help navigating legal routes addressing free speech challenges.
A university is a place to experience new ideas, diverse opinions, and freedom of discourse. The acts of tabling on campus and hosting speakers are not separate from this mission.
These unconstitutional rules do not disappear on their own. To see students’ free speech rights protected on university campuses again, students must speak up against the injustices happening on their campus and beyond — and the courts must follow their lead.
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Tiffany Lomax is a senior student at the University of Texas at Austin. She serves as president of the Horns for Life chapter, where she is involved in pro-life advocacy and organizing events on campus.
