Overview
- Preston Damsky topped his originalism class and automatically received a judge-sponsored book award for a paper arguing that “We the People” refers only to white citizens
- Interim dean Merritt McAlister defended the accolade on grounds of institutional neutrality and free speech, rejecting calls for viewpoint discrimination
- After winning the award, Damsky posted antisemitic and white supremacist messages on X, including calls to abolish Jewish people “by any means necessary”
- On April 3, UF suspended Damsky under a three-year trespass order, bolstered campus security and launched disciplinary proceedings that could lead to expulsion
- Hillel International and visiting scholars have condemned the award process and urged UF to review its automatic honor system, noting that Florida’s 2023 ban on DEI funding may have weakened safeguards against extremist content