A federal judge ordered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point to pause enforcement of a policy requiring civilian professors to seek approval before speaking at certain outside engagements. In a preliminary injunction, U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel blocked enforcement of the restriction and also barred a related informal policy that discourages faculty from sharing personal opinions while teaching against law professor Tim Bakken. Bakken sued West Point in September, arguing that the policies violate his First Amendment rights and the rights of civilian faculty. Seibel denied West Point’s motion to dismiss and wrote that Bakken’s case is “likely to succeed” on its merits. The court described a memo issued Feb. 13, 2025 that required faculty approval before outside engagements tied to their “disciplinary areas of expertise,” including journal publications, conference presentations, opinion editorials, and certain social media uses. The memo’s timing followed a Trump executive order barring military colleges from promoting views the administration deemed “un-American.” West Point defended the policy as limited to leadership notification rather than explicit sanction, but the judge’s order keeps the disputed speech-approval system from moving forward while the litigation continues.