The Institute for Free Speech and Vancouver Attorney Angus Lee brought the case on Gilley’s behalf after the University of Oregon’s Division of Equity and Inclusion blocked him on Twitter for saying “all men are created equal”
In a decisive win for free speech, a federal court has granted a preliminary injunction preventing the University of Oregon’s Division of Equity and Inclusion’s communication manager from blocking Bruce Gilley’s online interactions with the division’s official X account.
Institute for Free Speech attorneys, working with local counsel Angus Lee, scored a significant victory in Professor Bruce Gilley’s ongoing free speech lawsuit. The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon has granted a preliminary injunction, protecting Gilley’s right to interact with the University’s @UOEquity social media account on X (formerly Twitter) without his speech being blocked, muted, or censored.
The court’s decision prevents the Communications Manager of the University of Oregon’s Division of Equity and Inclusion from blocking Gilley or hiding his posts for being “hateful,” “racist,” “offensive,” or “off-topic.” This ruling comes after the Ninth Circuit vacated a previous denial of the preliminary injunction in March.
The lawsuit originated when the University blocked Gilley from its @UOEquity Twitter account after he responded to a “racism interrupter” tweet by saying “all men are created equal.” The court’s opinion found that Gilley showed a likelihood of success on the merits of his First Amendment claims and would suffer irreparable harm without an injunction.
“This is a big victory for free online and campus speech. Independent thinkers like Bruce Gilley are allowed to dissent from the radical DEI orthodoxy destroying colleges in America without getting blocked or censored by university officials,” said Vancouver Attorney Angus Lee
The court rejected the University of Oregon’s arguments that recent changes in staffing and oversight made an injunction unnecessary. Instead, the opinion emphasized the importance of preventing potential First Amendment violations.
The case will now proceed with the preliminary injunction in place. The court has stayed the case for 60 days to allow the parties to explore settlement options.
Also read:
- Clark County mourns loss of hometown hero and humanitarian Greg Biffle
Clark County is mourning Greg Biffle, the Camas High School graduate and NASCAR champion remembered not only for his racing career but for his humanitarian work and disaster relief efforts. - Opinion: IBR still holding and lying about coming billions in cost overruns
Joe Cortright argues that Interstate Bridge Replacement officials are deliberately delaying the release of an updated cost estimate that he says could push the project toward $10 billion. - Opinion: Another problem with strike pay from the UI fund – Potential double-dipping, overpayments
Elizabeth New (Hovde) argues that Washington’s new strike pay law risks overpayments and double-dipping unless workers are clearly warned at the point of applying for unemployment benefits. - Vancouver firefighters spread Christmas cheer through 2nd annual toy drive
Vancouver firefighters collected and distributed more than 650 donated toys to students at six Evergreen Public School District elementary schools during their second annual holiday toy drive. - Person rescued after jumping from I-205 Bridge
Vancouver fire crews and a Port of Portland rescue boat pulled a man from the Columbia River after he jumped from the I-205 Bridge and rushed him to a local hospital. - Weather update: Heavy rains and strong wind gusts expected for the rest of Thursday
Heavy rain, wind gusts up to 45 mph, and ongoing flood risks are forecast for Southwest Washington as utilities continue restoring power after earlier storm damage. - BPA responding to widespread weather-related outages
Bonneville Power Administration crews are responding to more than 40 transmission outages caused by extreme weather across the Northwest.
