Courts and state policymakers kept higher education under legal and political pressure in 2025. Federal rulings diverged—some upholding state limits on classroom content, others protecting universities from administrative overreach—leaving an unsettled landscape for academic freedom. A broader legal and political offensive prompted high‑profile personnel actions and governance disputes: the University of Arkansas moved to remove a tenured professor over statements about Iran and Israel, and legal scholars warned that new state laws and enforcement could chill campus speech and curricular choices. University leaders should expect continued litigation and legislative scrutiny over curriculum, campus protests and hiring decisions, and they must craft legal strategies, communications protocols and governance responses that protect academic standards while managing public accountability.