An arbitrator ruled that San José State University professor Sang Hea Kil, a tenured faculty member fired in 2025 after participating in pro-Palestinian student protests, should be reinstated. The California Faculty Association (CFA) said the arbitrator found the termination an “excessive” punishment. CFA reported the arbitrator recommended reducing the termination to a one-month unpaid suspension based on findings including “interference” with another faculty member’s lecture and student guidance issues. CFA framed the case as a precedent for academic freedom, noting Kil was the first tenured full professor fired for pro-Palestinian advocacy. The arbitrator decision follows a Faculty Hearing Committee determination months earlier that termination was not warranted. San José State declined to comment, citing ongoing personnel matters. For higher education governance and faculty labor relations, the ruling adds pressure on campus disciplinary processes involving political expression—especially where administrators and faculty disagree about scope, impact, and procedural fairness.