Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill and 16 other attorneys general have sent a letter to the presidents and deans of universities and colleges across the country urging them to protect free speech on their campuses after the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
“LSU has led in defending free speech,” Murrill said. “I hope all our state institutions will continue to do that. The right to free speech is above all others and we must protect it.”
The letter condemns political violence of any kind, saying, “The fact that the slaying took place on a college campus, during a debate, makes it even more tragic. Particularly at this moment, it is critical our state institutions of higher learning serve as forums for robust debate from all perspectives. The campus should be the very place where the First Amendment rings loudest to hear. We urge you to say no to the ‘Assassin’s Veto.’”
The attorneys general write that some university officials are using Charlie Kirk’s assassination as justification to shut down free speech on campus.
The “Assassin’s Veto” refers to imposing exorbitant security fees on people or groups who want to speak on campus. However, those fees can violate the First Amendment, especially if they’re applied based on the content of the speech.
Texas AG Ken Paxton also signed the letter, which came after reports that some university officials are chilling conservative voices under the guise of heightened security.
“Any twisted radical attempting to weaponize the tragedy of Charlie Kirk’s assassination to silence the conservative movement will be exposed, stopped, and held accountable,” Paxton said. “The patriotic voices of the young people in the conservative movement are louder and stronger than ever, and I will not allow any school to quiet them.”
Joining Murrill and Paxton in the Iowa-led letter are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah.
