Academic freedom is under intense pressure amid politicized crackdowns. The AAUP released a report accusing the Trump administration of weaponizing civil rights laws to undermine academic autonomy and discredit colleges, focusing on investigations targeting speech and programming involving national origin and race. Faculty unions and associations have sued to combat governmental ideological control. Individual cases include a Texas State professor suing for free speech violations after dismissal related to violent speech allegations during a socialist event. Moreover, campus controversies escalate over the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, as faculty face retaliation for remarks on the incident, raising broader debates on the intersection of free speech, political retribution, and academic governance.