TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Texas State philosophy professor Idris Robinson has sued the university for violating his constitutional rights by terminating his contract for remarks made during an off-campus talk two years ago, according to a press release from the Texas State Employees Union.
The union said that the campaign to terminate focused on Robinson’s political views on Israel and Palestine at a North Carolina anarchist book fair. They stated that Robinson was acting as a private citizen and “did not use his institutional affiliation.” They stated that the speech in question was at the book fair two years ago.
On his home page, Robinson, a tenure-track professor, says he has written extensively on crisis and revolt. He is the author of “The Revolt Eclipses Whatever the World Has to Offer” (MIT Press / Semiotext( e)) and “Escritos desde la tierra baldía (Irrupción Ediciones).”
When the Daily Record reached out to Texas State for comment on the Robinson case, a spokesperson said, “Texas State University does not discuss active litigation.”
The Texas State Employees Union said that the university “yielded to outside pressure and moved to end his contract” as opposed to defending the constitutional rights of its faculty.
“Faculty must be able to speak as private citizens without fear that coordinated harassment campaigns will cost them their livelihood,” said a spokesperson for the TSEU. ”This case is nearly identical to Tom Alter’s and shows once again that Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse would rather cede to political pressure than defend faculty.”
This is not the only free-speech lawsuit Texas State University is currently embroiled in.
The university fired history professor Tom Alter after a social media post of comments he made at the online Revolutionary Socialism Conference in September went viral. The university fired him a second time in October following a review of his case during a due process hearing. The university alleged that the statements at the conference were inappropriate, a charge he continues to deny.
In November, The Texas State University Board of Regents unanimously upheld the firing of Alter, confirming their support of university President Kelly Damphousse’s decision to dismiss Alter and revoke his tenure.
In February 2026, Alter told the Daily Record that he was going forward with a suit against the university.
