Two recent faculty-termination cases in Texas illustrate growing political pressure on campus hiring, curriculum and academic governance. At Texas A&M, the university’s Committee on Academic Freedom, Responsibility and Tenure unanimously concluded the institution lacked justification for the September dismissal of an English professor and found the university failed to follow required procedures, the Texas A&M AAUP chapter reported. Separately, the Texas State University Board of Regents upheld the firing of a tenured history professor after the university said his remarks at an external conference crossed lines. Both cases highlight widening tensions in state systems where lawmakers and governors have publicly intervened and where institutions face political scrutiny over classroom content, due process and the limits of academic freedom. Faculty groups and free-speech advocates say these rulings will reverberate across recruitment, tenure security and faculty governance nationwide.