Texas: Governor Abbott Issues Executive Order Requiring State Colleges and Universities to Update Policies to Address Antisemitism

On March 27, 2024, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed an executive order directing Texas’s public institutions of higher education to update their free speech policies, establish appropriate punishments for violations, and ensure the policies are being enforced and violators are disciplined. The order also required institutions to incorporate into their policies the definition of antisemitism adopted by the State of Texas in Section 448.001 of the Texas Government Code, which tracks the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. FIRE wrote to 27 colleges and universities on May 21, urging them to uphold their obligations to protect free expression and to avoid adopting unlawful categorical bans on “antisemitic” expression, reminding them they must apply constitutional standards to address actionable discriminatory harassment regardless of Abbott’s executive order.