My First Amendment Rights As An Akron Law School Student

Let me say this: I didn’t come to law school to start a battle with law school. I have bigger fish to fry. But this system is just as corrupt and oppressive as any other system.

You must always remember that every system, from the smallest non-profit to the biggest nation on the planet, cares about one thing more than anything else: Protecting the system at all costs. They are all run by fearful, selfish people. Protecting the system means protecting their jobs. And the bigger they get, the worse they get. I can’t sit here for 4 years without saying anything.

This post is a foundational piece about protected speech and actions on public college campuses. We live in a time where speech is being aggressively destroyed. Two days ago, March 16, 2026, Leqaa Kordia was released from being jailed for A YEAR in federal immigration detention. She has not been charged with a crime. She took part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration at Columbia University in 2024.

A YEAR IN FUCKING FEDERAL IMMIGRATION DETENTION!!! Let that shit sit with you for a second.

And A US sergeant says he is under investigation for sharing anti-Israel social media posts

There are multiple reasons I’ve decided to start this series. But probably the biggest one is that Americans are living in an increasingly authoritarian regime filled with mass surveillance Flock cameras, and ominous threats to our basic rights. Joe Biden wouldn’t let us talk openly about COVID vaccinations. Now the entire government won’t let us talk openly about Israel. And liberals just chant, “You can say whatever you want, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences.” (Liberals have always been the biggest apologists for the machine that have ever existed in America. Go read “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This” by Omar El Akkad if you don’t believe me.)

When it becomes trendy to silence people, all the organizations want to jump on the train. I’m pushing back against that tide.

I have problems with my law school. But let me say I don’t have any problems with my teachers or the students at the law school. Sure. I think some teachers suck and some teachers are brilliant. But that’s just school. You’ll have that. I have a problem with the system.

I don’t intend to call out individual people. I don’t intend to harass or berate people. But I do intend to shine a light on what goes on at my law school, and probably other law schools around the country.

These are my opinions, and I’m free to make them. That’s the entire point.

Let me set the stage logistically.

From FIRE, The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression:

The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Sweezy v. New Hampshire (1957) that the government should be “extremely reticent to tread” on academic freedom and political expression, especially when the views challenge prevailing norms. Chief Justice Earl Warren held that research and scholarship “cannot flourish in an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust,” and that students and faculty “must always remain free to inquire, to study and to evaluate, to gain new maturity and understanding; otherwise our civilization will stagnate and die.”

Here’s an ACLU article about Speech on Campus. They lead with:

“The First Amendment to the Constitution protects speech no matter how offensive its content. Restrictions on speech by public colleges and universities amount to government censorship, in violation of the Constitution. Such restrictions deprive students of their right to invite speech they wish to hear, debate speech with which they disagree, and protest speech they find bigoted or offensive. An open society depends on liberal education, and the whole enterprise of liberal education is founded on the principle of free speech.“

And just so we are clear on the University of Akron’s views. Here are a couple of documents:

University of Akron Code of Conduct.

Here it is on the UAkron Website

I also have a copy of it here

This section is key: Section (A)(6):
“This chapter shall not be interpreted, construed or applied in any manner that abridges or denies to any student their constitutional rights as guaranteed under the constitutions of the United States or the state of Ohio.”

Akron Law Handbook

The following document governs the rights and responsibilities of every student at the University of Akron School of Law. Unlike the University’s Code of Student Conduct which is publicly available as Ohio Administrative Code Rule 3359-41-01, this handbook does not appear to be publicly accessible online. As a student whose rights are governed by this document I believe the public and prospective students have an interest in knowing what it says. I’ve linked to it for you here.

(You can find the 2018 Student Handbook online for some reason, but not the most recent version.)

It doesn’t say anything about speech protection. It’s a systems logistics guide. It’s not inspiring in any way. In fact, it’s mostly just fear-inducing. I’ll likely have things to say about it, too.

If you feel like you have been unfairly treated at Akron Law, you can check out: LLF National Education Student Defense. They have a page about how they could help you.

I didn’t come to law school to get rich (I have all the money I need). I didn’t come to law school to build social credibility (I have always resented social climbers). I came to law school to fight better for people who have no voice. I am not afraid. This is my story and journey through Akron Law School.