A federal judge ordered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to pause enforcement of a policy requiring civilian professors to obtain approval before speaking at certain outside engagements. The decision, granted as a preliminary injunction, came in a lawsuit filed by law professor Tim Bakken. Judge Cathy Seibel found West Point’s speech-approval policy likely violated First Amendment rights, and the order also barred enforcement of an informal restriction on sharing personal opinions while teaching. The court denied West Point’s motion to dismiss and said Bakken’s claims are likely to succeed on the merits. The policy at issue—implemented through an institutional memo in February 2025—mandated prior approval tied to “disciplinary areas of expertise” and identification as West Point professors, including communications about outside engagements such as journal publications, conference presentations, and opinion editorials. The ruling signals heightened judicial scrutiny of university-like academic governance controls when policies intersect with protected faculty speech rights, even in federal service academies.