Table of Contents
ĂŰÖĎăĚŇ’s Ashland University Case on Volokh
Our recent involvement at Ashland University continues to gain attention on the web with a post on the widely read blog by David Bernstein. Torch readers will recall that Ashland denied Professor John Lewis tenure for engaging in Objectivist scholarship that did not comport with the school’s “Judeo-Christian tradition.” This was after Ashland accepted $100,000 from a private foundation that granted the money expressly for the purpose of funding Lewis’ Objectivist research. Ashland ultimately granted Lewis tenure in exchange for his resignation, after FIREwrote to the university that Ashland was contractually obligated to uphold Lewis’ academic freedom and, as Bernstein noted, that Ashland’s academic regulations “made it far from clear that the professor, John Lewis, was violating university policy.”
Recent Articles
Get the latest free speech news and analysis from ĂŰÖĎăĚŇ.
TICKETS ON SALE: Step up to the Soapbox in Philadelphia, Nov. 4-6, 2026
Tickets on sale for Soapbox 2026 in Philly! Nov. 4–6. Fearless debates, bold speakers, and a gala celebrating free speech at America’s 250th.
LAWSUIT: FIREsues Federal Trade Commission over agency’s targeting of news rating service
The Federal Trade Commission has unconstitutionally used its broad regulatory powers to attack NewsGuard, a private news organization, because it doesn’t like its news ratings.
The secret war against student journalists
Across the country, colleges are using conduct hearings to punish student reporters for basic newsgathering — chilling who gets to tell campus stories.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (of protected speech)
The FBI is probing Signal chats that track ICE activity — without evidence of a crime. That’s not law enforcement. It’s a First Amendment problem.