Campus Speech and Academic Freedom: A Guide for Difficult Times

Expert guidance for navigating the difficult new issues around free speech rights in higher education

In their earlier book, Free Speech on Campus, Erwin Chemerinsky and Howard Gillman argued that colleges and universities should permit the expression of the widest possible range of views. Nearly ten tumultuous years later, many issues have arisen that this simple principle does not adequately address. To what extent must an institution provide expensive security for extremely controversial speakers? Should colleges and universities defend faculty, students, or administrators who find themselves the victims of social media firestorms? How should they handle the expression of controversial views or the use of offensive language in classrooms? May academic departments or other administrative units--or an entire school--take positions on controversial political issues? What rules should exist around campus protests or disruptive activities? How should we assess government efforts to control faculty speech or curricular choices? In Campus Speech and Academic Freedom, two law professors and university administrators who have confronted these questions for years draw on their extensive real-world experience to help campus leaders, campus communities, government officials, and the public better understand and address the contentious issues surrounding campus speech.

Author: Erwin Chemerinsky,Howard Gillman
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 01/27/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.70h x 5.70w x 1.30d
ISBN: 9780300270983

About the Author
Erwin Chemerinsky is the dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law at Berkeley Law, University of California. His books include Worse Than Nothing and No Democracy Lasts Forever. Howard Gillman is the chancellor of the University of California, Irvine. His books include The Votes That Counted: How the Court Decided the 2000 Presidential Election. Chemerinsky and Gillman are the coauthors of Free Speech on Campus, and they cochair the national advisory board for the University of California's Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.