US EditionUSD Professor Files Lawsuit to Stop BOR From Firing Him
Michael Hook challenges his termination over social media posts about Charlie Kirk, arguing the university's actions violate his First Amendment free speech rights, his lawsuit claims.
- On Tuesday, Michael Hook filed a lawsuit in South Dakota federal court seeking to stop the University of South Dakota and South Dakota Board of Regents from terminating his employment, with attorney Jim Leach moving for a temporary restraining order.
- Following the social‑media circulation, USD officials notified Hook of imminent termination on Sept. 12, with Bruce Kelley, Dean of the USD College of Fine Arts, delivering a disciplinary notice at noon.
- The complaint notes constitutional safeguards for political speech and argues Phillip Michael Hook, a tenured Professor of Art at USD since 2006, is protected by First Amendment precedents.
- The lawsuit asks the court to halt retaliation and administrative leave, seeking to cancel a personal conference scheduled for Monday, Sept. 29, while petitioners gathered more than 8,700 signatures.
- The lawsuit frames the dispute as a statewide free‑speech issue, warning that SDBOR's actions will chill speech and cause irreparable harm, while Gov. Larry Rhoden and Jon Hansen, Speaker of the South Dakota House, urged USD to fire Hook.
15 Articles
15 Articles
University professor can’t be fired for calling Charlie Kirk a ‘Nazi’, judge rules
Phillip Michael Hook wrote online that he did not ‘give a flying f***’ about Kirk, and described him as a ‘hate spreading Nazi’ in a post on the afternoon the MAGA activist was killed
University of South Dakota can't fire professor for calling Charlie Kirk a Nazi: Judge
A University of South Dakota professor who raged against murdered right-wing youth activist Charlie Kirk on Facebook cannot be fired from his post, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday.Phillip Michael Hook, a tenured professor of art at USD, was placed on administrative leave and notified of the inten...
Judge orders USD to reinstate professor placed on leave after Kirk post
U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier granted art professor Phillip Michael Hook's request for a temporary restraining order, requiring the South Dakota Board of Regents and USD administrators to set aside their decision to place him on administrative leave and reinstate…
The Daily Republic
SD university professor files lawsuit opposing termination for social media post about Charlie Kirk
SIOUX FALLS — A University of South Dakota art professor facing the loss of his job over his online comments about the killing of Charlie Kirk filed a lawsuit Tuesday, Sept. 23, seeking to stop the university and state Board of Regents from terminating his employment. Michael Hook, a tenured art professor, is alleging his placement on administrative leave and impending termination are a violation of his constitutional right to free speech. Hook …
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