UW land acknowledgment parody wins protection
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Students at UW's entrance. Photo: Karen Ducey/Getty Images
A federal appeals court ruled last month that the University of Washington violated a professor's First Amendment rights in 2022 when it punished him for mocking the school's Indigenous land acknowledgment.
Why it matters: The court's amended ruling suggests public universities can't penalize professors for making fun of land acknowledgments. Land acknowledgments have become increasingly common on campuses nationwide.
Catch up quick: Computer science professor Stuart Reges included a statement in a 2022 syllabus that mocked UW's official acknowledgment of Coast Salish tribes.
- "I acknowledge that by the labor theory of property the Coast Salish people can claim historical ownership of almost none of the land currently occupied by the University of Washington," Reges' parody read.
- After some students complained, UW ordered Reges to remove the statement from his syllabus, according to court records.
- When he refused, administrators removed the statement, publicly condemned it, and later opened an investigation during which Reges' merit pay increase was put on hold.
Reges sued UW officials in 2022, alleging the university violated his First Amendment rights by retaliating against him for protected speech.
- A federal district court initially ruled for UW, rejecting Reges' First Amendment claims and dismissing his challenge to a university nondiscrimination policy.
The latest: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court's decision, siding with Reges.
- "Student discomfort with a professor's views can prompt discussion and disapproval. But this discomfort is not grounds for the university retaliating against the professor," the court wrote.
- The court also revived Reges' challenge to UW's nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy.
What they're saying: "I don't like land acknowledgments," Reges told UW's student paper, The Daily. "I think they're stupid. I think they're performative … My way of protesting it was to make a parody of the university's land acknowledgement that I put on my syllabus in January 2022."
- UW spokesperson Victor Balta told Axios the university is reviewing the decision "and will be considering our options moving forward."
What's next: The case heads back to district court, where a judge will consider Reges' challenge to UW policy and decide whether he is entitled to any relief.