Bakersfield College and the California Community Colleges system settled with professor Daymon Johnson over faculty diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility requirements, according to reporting on Tuesday. Under the agreement, Bakersfield cannot require Johnson to use DEIA principles in his teaching or scholarship, but it may require mandatory DEI training tied to his role on a faculty screening committee. The deal also awards Johnson $150,000 in legal fees through the nonprofit Institute for Free Speech, which represented him. The settlement makes permanent an earlier preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Kirk Sherriff, while Institute for Free Speech leaders said the case reflects a First Amendment violation—warning that governments can’t demand ideological conformity from professors. The underlying dispute centers on 2023 system rules that tied faculty evaluations to “DEIA-related competencies” and encouraged DEIA and “anti-racist principles” across teaching and professional practices. The agreement applies to Johnson, and the system’s broader DEI framework remains intact for other instructors.