Thrasher v. Northwestern University

N.D. Ill. No. 1:26-cv-08254

Steven Thrasher, a journalism professor, alleges he was denied tenure because of his Palestine advocacy, under pressure from federal officials and the House Education Committee, which are co-defendants. He also challenges speech-restricting terms of Northwestern’s 2025 agreement with the federal government.

OpenAmended complaint filed Aug. 19, 2026; responses due Oct. 27, 2026.

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Sajida Jalalzai (Trinity University)

EEOC charge

Sajida Jalalzai, an assistant professor of religion, was denied tenure in February 2025 by Trinity’s president and provost despite unanimous recommendations from her department and the tenure commission. She alleges the denial was discrimination and retaliation, in part for her statements about Israel and Palestine.

OpenEEOC charge filed Aug. 8, 2025; she announced in April 2026 that she would sue, but no suit has been filed in the federal court for her district.

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Robinson v. Damphousse (Texas State University)

W.D. Tex. No. 1:26-cv-00705

Idris Robinson, a tenure-track philosopher, alleges Texas State declined to renew him after an off-campus talk about the Palestinian resistance, in retaliation for protected speech.

OpenPreliminary injunction ordering reinstatement granted May 13, 2026; the parties filed their discovery plan Oct. 1, 2026 and await a scheduling order.

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AbouYabis v. Emory University

N.D. Ga. No. 1:25-cv-02438

Dr. Abeer AbouYabis, an assistant professor of medicine and oncologist at Emory, alleges she was fired over posts about Gaza and attendance at a protest, and that donors and advocacy groups pressed for her firing.

OpenClaims against the donor defendants and most counts dismissed Sept. 17, 2026; her termination claim against Emory proceeds, with discovery closing Mar. 1, 2027.

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Marya v. Regents of the University of California

N.D. Cal. No. 3:25-cv-04716

Dr. Rupa Marya, a part-time UCSF professor of medicine in a purely clinical role, alleges she was suspended and then fired in retaliation for posts about Gaza.

OpenTwo earlier complaints dismissed with leave to amend; the university’s third motion to dismiss is set for hearing Oct. 30, 2026.

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Ataie v. University of Massachusetts

Mass. Super. Ct. (Hampshire) No. 2680CV00044

Mohammad Ataie, a history lecturer at UMass Amherst, alleges he was passed over for a Middle East studies position after a student accused him of antisemitism, in violation of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights and Civil Rights Act.

OpenPreliminary injunction denied June 29, 2026; the case continues.

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Abdou v. Trustees of Columbia University

N.Y. Sup. Ct. No. 157845/2024

Mohamed Abdou, a former visiting professor, sued over Columbia’s handling of his appointment and President Minouche Shafik’s congressional testimony about him.

OpenDismissed in August 2026 on the ground that the statements were protected opinion; Abdou has appealed to the Appellate Division, First Department.

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Assali v. Columbia University

N.Y. Sup. Ct. No. 159990/2026

Palestinian lecturers, a doctoral student and graduates allege discrimination under the New York City Human Rights Law, including biased discipline, misuse of the IHRA definition of antisemitism, surveillance and doxxing.

OpenFiled Aug. 10, 2026; Columbia’s answer or motion to dismiss due Oct. 19, 2026.

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Johnson v. Georgetown University

D.D.C. No. 1:25-cv-01540

A Palestinian-American staff administrator and adjunct alleges she was fired after Canary Mission publicized old anti-Zionist posts, and sued Georgetown, Canary Mission and others.

ClosedClaims dismissed with prejudice; final judgment entered Sept. 10, 2026, with a notice of appeal due Oct. 13, 2026.

Law school: Defendant Rachel Wolff was a Georgetown Law dual-degree student.

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Feder v. Emerson College

Mass. Super. Ct. No. 2584CV00884

Anna Feder, a film curator, alleges Emerson laid her off because of her pro-Palestine activism and a planned screening of the documentary Israelism.

OpenMotion to dismiss or stay for arbitration denied Nov. 18, 2025; summary-judgment motions due early 2027; final pretrial conference May 17, 2027.

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Loggins v. Leland Stanford Junior University

N.D. Cal. No. 3:24-cv-02027

Ameer Hasan Loggins, a lecturer, alleges Stanford suspended, investigated and declined to renew him after an Oct. 10, 2023 class session on Israel and Palestine. He also sued a postdoctoral researcher for defamation over congressional testimony about him.

ClosedClaims against Stanford dismissed with leave to amend and the defamation claim struck under California’s anti-SLAPP law (Aug. 26, 2024); Loggins voluntarily dismissed the case Nov. 7, 2024.

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Admiral & Wright v. University of Texas at Dallas

N.D. Tex. No. 3:25-cv-02843

History professors Rosemary Admiral, who was then untenured, and Ben Wright were arrested at the May 1, 2024 encampment and barred from campus. They sue university officials and Gov. Greg Abbott for First and Fourth Amendment violations, discrimination and breach of employment protections. The UT regents deferred Admiral’s tenure in August 2026 and then approved it on Aug. 28, 2026.

OpenDismissed with leave to amend July 20, 2026; second amended complaint filed Oct. 1, 2026.

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Alibhai v. University of Texas at Dallas

N.D. Tex. No. 3:25-cv-02038

Ali Asgar Alibhai, an assistant professor of art history, was arrested while observing the May 2024 encampment and restricted from campus. He brings First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment and discrimination claims.

OpenMotions to dismiss on immunity grounds fully briefed Dec. 15, 2025; no ruling yet, with discovery stayed and the case administratively closed in the meantime.

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Dames v. Roberts (University of North Carolina)

M.D.N.C.; 4th Cir. No. 26-1261

Protesters including Duke assistant professor Emily Rogers challenge indefinite bans from UNC’s campus imposed after a 2024 pro-Palestine protest.

OpenBans lifted as applied Feb. 4, 2026; UNC’s sovereign-immunity appeal was fully briefed Aug. 21, 2026 and awaits argument.

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Wen Feng (Stanford University)

Cal. Labor Commissioner

Wen Feng, a non-tenured assistant professor, alleges Stanford fired them in April 2025 after a guest lecture on Palestine and their Palestine-related organizing.

OpenComplaint filed April 2026; no later public development has been found.

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Brooklyn College “Fired Four” (CUNY)

Union grievance and arbitration

The Professional Staff Congress grieved CUNY’s non-reappointment of four Brooklyn College instructors after a pro-Palestine demonstration in 2025.

OpenThree were reinstated in January 2026; the fourth instructor’s case went to an arbitration hearing in fall 2026, and no award has been reported.

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Hanoosh v. Portland State University

D. Or. No. 3:26-cv-01280

Yasmeen Hanoosh, a tenured professor of Arabic, alleges that Portland State put her on leave, barred her from campus and cancelled her classes after a sarcastic remark at a June 2025 protest, even though the university’s own investigation cleared her. She brings First and Fourteenth Amendment, discrimination and defamation claims.

OpenMotions to dismiss and an anti-SLAPP motion are pending; argument is set for Jan. 13, 2027.

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Saeidi v. University of Arkansas

W.D. Ark. No. 5:26-cv-05260

Shirin Saeidi, a tenured political scientist, alleges she was removed as director of the King Fahd Center over posts about Gaza and fired in March 2026 despite a unanimous faculty panel. She brings First Amendment and Title VII claims and challenges Arkansas Act 721.

OpenFiled Oct. 6, 2026.

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DeGraff v. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

D. Mass. No. 1:26-cv-11488

Michel DeGraff, an MIT linguist named in a House committee staff report, alleges that MIT retaliated against him by blocking a seminar and removing him from his unit. He also sues the committee and its chair.

OpenMotions to dismiss, including the committee’s Speech or Debate Clause defense, fully briefed July 24, 2026.

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Abdulhaqq v. Sarah Lawrence College

S.D.N.Y. No. 7:25-cv-06442

A professor and eleven students and alumni allege that antisemitism investigations Sarah Lawrence opened at the prompting of the House Education Committee discriminated against them. The committee and its chair are co-defendants.

OpenMotions to dismiss fully briefed June 10, 2026.

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Kil v. Trustees of the California State University

N.D. Cal. No. 5:26-cv-07075; Santa Clara Super. Ct. No. 26CV502780

Sang Hea Kil, a tenured justice studies professor and SJP adviser at San José State, was fired in November 2025 over her role in 2024 protests, overriding a faculty committee. An arbitrator ordered her reinstated on June 22, 2026. She alleges retaliation and discrimination under the First Amendment, Title VII and California law, and has separately petitioned to confirm the arbitration award.

OpenMotion to dismiss set for hearing Nov. 3, 2026; the petition to confirm the award is pending.

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Dancy v. University of Pittsburgh

W.D. Pa. No. 2:25-cv-01286

T. Elon Dancy II, an education professor, alleges he lost his center directorship and endowed chair after relaying students’ criticism of the dean’s statements about Gaza, in retaliation for protected speech.

OpenFact discovery closed Sept. 30, 2026; a post-discovery status conference is set for Oct. 26, 2026.

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Fakhreddine v. University of Pennsylvania

E.D. Pa. No. 2:24-cv-01034; 3d Cir. No. 25-1290

Professors Huda Fakhreddine and Eve Troutt Powell sought to stop Penn from turning over records about faculty to the House Education Committee’s antisemitism investigation.

ClosedDismissed for lack of standing; affirmed Jan. 9, 2026.

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Woodcock v. Capilouto (University of Kentucky)

E.D. Ky. No. 5:25-cv-00424; 6th Cir. No. 26-5057

Ramsi Woodcock, a University of Kentucky law professor, challenges the university’s investigation of him, his suspension, and his ban.

OpenThe Sixth Circuit reversed the district court’s decision to abstain on Aug. 24, 2026 and remanded for a ruling on his motion to return to teaching.

Law school: The plaintiff is a law professor.

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McAfee v. Emory University

DeKalb Cnty. (Ga.) State Ct. No. 26A03017

Three tenured professors arrested as observers at Emory’s April 25, 2024 encampment, whose charges were dismissed, allege Emory broke its own open-expression policies.

OpenEmory’s anti-SLAPP motion and motion to dismiss argued Sept. 21, 2026; no ruling yet.

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Blair v. Regents of the University of California

L.A. Super. Ct. No. 24STCV27623

UCLA professors Graeme Blair and Salih Can Açıksöz and two students challenge dispersal orders, arrests and discipline at the 2024 Gaza protests.

OpenClaims allowed to proceed Nov. 4, 2025, without damages; a status conference is set for Oct. 16, 2026.

Law school: Plaintiff Catherine Washington is a UCLA law student.

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Wirtshafter v. Trustees of Indiana University

S.D. Ind. No. 1:24-cv-00754

Professors were among ten plaintiffs banned from campus after the April 2024 encampment who challenged the bans and Indiana University’s expressive-activity policy.

ClosedSummary judgment Jan. 8, 2026 held the August 2024 policy unconstitutional and ordered discipline expunged; no appeal.

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Muhlenberg College (Maura Finkelstein)

U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights

Muhlenberg fired anthropologist Maura Finkelstein in May 2024 over a social media repost. The Education Department resolved Title VI complaints about her speech with an agreement requiring the college to review all complaints against her; the AAUP later found violations of academic freedom.

ClosedResolution agreement September 2024; AAUP report April 2025.

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United States v. Regents of the University of California (UCLA)

C.D. Cal. No. 2:26-cv-01946

The Justice Department alleges UCLA tolerated an antisemitic hostile work environment, relying heavily on named faculty members’ speech and protest activity. Seven Jewish faculty and staff have intervened.

OpenThe university’s response is due Oct. 26, 2026.

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Sussman v. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

D. Mass. No. 1:25-cv-11826

Former MIT affiliates sued MIT and Professor Michel DeGraff, alleging that his pro-Palestine advocacy amounted to harassment of Jewish and Israeli students and faculty.

OpenAll claims against DeGraff and most against MIT dismissed Jan. 5, 2026; discovery continues on one plaintiff’s remaining claim against MIT.

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Garrett v. City University of New York

S.D.N.Y. No. 1:24-cv-09710

Hunter College’s Jewish Studies director alleges a hostile work environment arising largely from colleagues’ speech about Israel, including in the faculty senate. The Justice Department filed a statement of interest supporting her.

OpenMotion to dismiss denied March 2026; CUNY’s summary-judgment motion is due Nov. 24, 2026, with briefing through Feb. 26, 2027.

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Trump v. Suri

U.S. Supreme Court No. 26-380 (from 4th Cir. No. 25-1560)

Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown postdoctoral fellow, was detained by immigration authorities in March 2025 over his alleged views and associations. He won release, and the Fourth Circuit upheld the district court’s jurisdiction on July 23, 2026.

OpenThe government petitioned for certiorari Sept. 21, 2026; Suri’s response is due Nov. 20, 2026.

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American Association of University Professors v. Rubio

1st Cir. No. 26-1141

AAUP and MESA challenge the federal policy of arresting and deporting noncitizen students and scholars for pro-Palestine speech. After trial, the district court held that the policy violated the First Amendment.

OpenCross-appeals briefed; argument not yet set.

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AAUP v. Trump (University of California)

N.D. Cal. No. 3:25-cv-07864

Faculty unions challenge the administration’s funding demands on the University of California, including antisemitism-related conditions, as coercion of protected speech.

OpenPreliminary injunction entered Nov. 14, 2025; discovery.

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AAUP-Harvard v. Department of Justice

1st Cir. No. 25-2231

Harvard faculty challenge the federal cutoff of Harvard’s research funding, imposed in the name of fighting antisemitism, as a violation of their own First Amendment rights.

OpenArgued with Harvard’s companion appeal Oct. 5, 2026.

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AAUP v. Department of Justice (Columbia University)

S.D.N.Y. No. 1:25-cv-02429; 2d Cir. No. 25-1529

Faculty groups challenged the federal cancellation of Columbia’s funding and the conditions imposed for its restoration.

ClosedDismissed for lack of standing in 2025; appeal dismissed as moot May 2026.

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McDonald v. Trustees of Indiana University

7th Cir. No. 25-2366

Two professors, one a scholar of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict who says he stopped assigning Palestinian works, challenge Indiana’s SEA 202 “intellectual diversity” law.

ClosedDismissal for lack of standing affirmed Aug. 13, 2026.

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Council of UC Faculty Associations v. Regents

Cal. Public Employment Relations Board No. LA-CE-1420-H

Faculty associations across the University of California charge that the university retaliated against faculty for Gaza-related protest and teaching, including arrests, suspensions and the firing of lecturers.

OpenThe board issued a complaint against the university in June 2025; no later public ruling has been found.

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Columbia faculty claims in the federal settlement fund

EEOC claims process

Jewish Columbia faculty who supported student protesters filed claims in the $21 million fund created by Columbia’s settlement with the federal government, alleging they were harassed and investigated for supporting Palestinian rights.

OpenClaims filed June 2026; the claims process has closed, and no decision on these claims has been made public.

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