Judge orders readmission of law student who posted 'Jews must be abolished' [View all]

Nov 25 (Reuters) - A federal judge has ordered the University of Florida to reinstate a law student it expelled for making controversial statements about race and religion, including a post on X that said “Jews must be abolished by any means necessary.”

Chief U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor in Tallahassee granted a preliminary injunction, opens new tab on Monday requiring plaintiff Preston Damsky be readmitted to the Gainesville law school for now, finding that the school had not shown his statements online and in academic papers were true threats of violence and that the expulsion likely violated his free speech rights under the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment.

“The University, of course, has an interest in maintaining order, but it has no interest in violating the First Amendment to achieve that goal,” Winsor said.

Damsky’s attorney, Anthony Sabatini, on Tuesday called the ruling “a big win for the First Amendment.” He said his client had missed an entire semester of law school due to the dispute.

A university spokesperson declined to comment on Tuesday.

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