Full Breakdown
Texas Tech University System Sued Over Curriculum Restrictions
7/10/2026, 1:08:35 PM
Lawsuit Overview
A coalition of legal and academic-freedom groups filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, accusing Texas Tech University System Chancellor Brandon Creighton and the Board of Regents of imposing policies that limit faculty instruction on race, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The complaint, brought by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and its Texas affiliate with representation from Lambda Legal, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, seeks a declaration that the two “Creighton Memoranda” issued in December 2025 and April 2026 are unconstitutional.
Origin of the Creighton Memoranda
Creighton, a former Republican state senator who became chancellor in the fall of 2025, previously attempted to enact comparable restrictions through the Texas Legislature. After those efforts stalled, the memoranda were introduced administratively. They require faculty to submit course materials for review and to disclose any content addressing race, sexual orientation, or gender identity. When a course is flagged, professors must omit or delay the material pending Board approval.
Claims of First Amendment Violations
The plaintiffs argue the memoranda discriminate against disfavored viewpoints, infringe the First Amendment, and violate the Fourteenth Amendment because faculty cannot reasonably determine what content is prohibited. Specific examples cited include blocks on teaching Plato’s *Republic*, Ta-Nehisi Coates’s *Between the World and Me*, the persecution of gay and bisexual men in Nazi Germany, and health-disparity data from rural Lubbock and El Paso. At the Texas Tech University School of Law, instructors were barred from discussing the Dred Scott decision in a first-year constitutional-law class.
Responses from Legal Advocates
“That’s viewpoint discrimination and a First Amendment violation in practice at its most basic.” — Nicholas Hite, senior attorney, Lambda Legal
Medical students were barred from interacting with transgender patients “for any reason,” not solely in gender-affirming-care contexts. — Nicholas Hite
“What he failed to do to hurt Black communities in the Texas Senate, he is now doing in the Texas Tech system.” — Antonio L. Ingram II, senior counsel, Legal Defense Fund
What the Plaintiffs Seek
The suit asks the court to declare the Creighton Memoranda unconstitutional and to enjoin the Texas Tech system from enforcing them. Texas Tech officials have not responded to requests for comment.
