• Tim Bakken, a law professor at West Point, filed a lawsuit alleging First Amendment violations.
• The lawsuit cites new policies restricting academic freedom instituted under President Trump.
• Bakken claims West Point has banned faculty opinions, affecting the academic environment.
• The lawsuit seeks class-action status for West Point's civilian faculty and aims to halt restrictions on speech.
• Concerns over free speech at military academies have escalated since Trump's executive order in January.

Tim Bakken, the longest-serving law professor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, has filed a lawsuit claiming that the academy has violated his free speech rights under the First Amendment. The lawsuit, initiated in federal court in New York, challenges the newly instituted "Academic Engagement Policy," which mandates faculty obtain prior approval for public speeches and publications. Bakken regards this policy as a significant infringement that aims to "censor and suppress" faculty speech based on content and viewpoint, according to the Los Angeles Times, Reuters, and The Hill.

The lawsuit follows a series of actions taken by West Point after an executive order from President Trump that called for a review of the curriculum and instructors at U.S. military academies. This led to the removal of certain books related to race and gender from the academy's libraries and increased scrutiny of course materials. Bakken claims this atmosphere stifles essential academic freedom and purports to control the fundamental rights of faculty, as highlighted in the complaint which states, "this action seeks to defend and protect the fundamental right to freedom of speech," according to the Los Angeles Times and Reuters.

Bakken asserts that under the new policy, he has faced unprecedented scrutiny when attempting to share his academic work, as evidenced when he was queried about the title of a paper before receiving permission to present it—an experience he described as never having occurred before during his lengthy career at West Point. This lawsuit not only calls for the cessation of these restrictions but also seeks class action status for other civilian faculty members, who number over 100 and similarly affected, as stated in the lawsuit. Bakken's case illustrates a broader ongoing dialogue about free speech rights within U.S. military academies amidst heightened political scrutiny, according to The Hill and Reuters.