Overview
- U.S. District Judge David Alan Ezra issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of SB 2972 at all University of Texas institutions.
- The statute bans "expressive activities" from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. and, during the last two weeks of a term, restricts guest speakers, amplified sound and percussive instruments.
- Ezra found the law content-based and overbroad, writing that "the First Amendment does not have a bedtime" and noting risks of arbitrary enforcement and a carve-out for commercial speech.
- The plaintiffs are student groups from UT Austin and UT Dallas represented by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, including a student newspaper and music and faith organizations.
- The law took effect Sept. 1 after 2024 campus protests prompted legislative action, and UT officials said the system complies with court orders as the case proceeds and potential appeals loom.