University of Florida Tries to Muzzle Professors

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Last May a coalition of voting rights organizations filed suit against the state of Florida over a new set of voting regulations that had been signed into law by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.  The plaintiffs who brought the case argued that the new laws which, among other things, limited the number of drop boxes for casting ballots, made it more difficult to get a mail ballot, and prohibited non-poll workers from giving food or drinks to anyone waiting in line to vote, discriminate against voters of color and violate the Voting Rights Act.

Three professors at the University of Florida who specialize in voting rights, behavior, and election law, had agreed to testify as expert witnesses in the case, providing testimony in support of the suit and against the state.  As expert witnesses, they were to be paid for their services, and that required the three to notify the University so that it could determine if this extra work constituted a "conflict of interest" with the university, the primary employer of the three professors.  

Normally such approval is almost automatic - having people on staff whom the courts deem as experts makes the employing colleges and universities look good.  But this time the University of Florida chose to turn down the request, stating that because the university is a state actor, a suit against the state was not in the best interest of the school.

The University of Florida told three well respected professors that they could not exercise their free speech rights and testify in court.  In an email to one of the professors, a university official stated:  "Outside activities that may pose a conflict of interest to the executive branch of the State of Florida create a conflict for the University of Florida."    (The executive branch of the State of Florida is headed by Governor Ron DeSantis.)   Plaintiffs in the case now say they intend to ask if the governor's office was involved in the university's decision.

In its coverage of this story, National Public Radio (NPR) reported that the University of Florida has "strong ties" to DeSantis, and that the chair of the university's board of trustees is Mori Hosseini, an adviser to Desantis and a major Republican donor.

Predictably, the three professors are fighting the university's attempt to muzzle them.  They have a lawyer and will try to educate the state's premier educational institution on the finer points of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.  It should be an excellent learning experience not only for the University of Florida, but for the executive branch of the State of Florida as well.