Three professors who specialize in voting rights law have been denied permission by their employer, the University of Florida, to testify in a lawsuit. This suit has been filed against the state of Florida after the recent passage of a bill which the plaintiff’s claim unfairly limits voter access. Critics of the University’s decision to forbid their employees’ participation in the case argue that this is a violation of the professors’ academic freedom and First Amendment rights.  The professors’ lawyer claims that “it’s unprecedented in American history for a public institution to attempt a ban like this….”  However, a spokesperson for the university told the press that this is not a violation of the three professors’ rights, and that “the university denied requests of these full-time employees to undertake outside paid work that is adverse to the university’s interests as a state of Florida institution.”

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