Bakersfield College and the California Community Colleges system reached a settlement with professor Daymon Johnson after he sued over the system’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility requirements for faculty. Under the agreement, the college cannot require Johnson to use DEIA principles in his teaching or scholarship, though it may require mandatory DEI training tied to his role on a faculty screening committee. The deal also includes $150,000 for attorney’s fees, resolving a dispute that had been temporarily constrained by a preliminary injunction earlier in the year. The system adopted DEIA regulations in 2023 and tied elements of faculty evaluations to “DEIA-related competencies,” which Johnson argued violated his First Amendment rights by pressuring viewpoint endorsement. While the settlement applies to Johnson rather than globally striking down the DEIA rules, it reinforces how First Amendment challenges can reshape institutional review processes in community colleges. It also increases pressure on other campuses implementing DEIA-based evaluation metrics to document the boundaries between professional development expectations and compelled speech.