Overview

• ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel’s show after FCC chair Brendan Carr warned the network to act or face possible investigation, a move scholars say could invite a First Amendment challenge.
• Clemson University reversed an initial defense of expression and dismissed three employees following political pressure, as the White House was reported to have discussed funding options for universities on a federal call.
• Other institutions, including the University of Miami, the University of Tennessee, Auburn and UCLA, have suspended or investigated staff over posts, and multiple Massachusetts teachers were placed on leave pending review.
• First Amendment lawyers emphasize that private employers can set speech rules while public employees have qualified protections that depend on workplace disruption and vary significantly by state law.
• Republican leaders are pushing for penalties, but figures such as Karl Rove and some Texas conservatives caution against overreach, and Attorney General Pam Bondi tempered remarks by focusing on speech that leads to violence.