Judge orders University of Oregon to pay $191,000 to censored conservative professor: lawyers

Just The News ^ | 6/17/25 | Greg Piper

[CFW]

Afederal judge ordered the University of Oregon to pay $191,000 to Portland State University professor Bruce Gilley to cover his legal fees in a successful First Amendment challenge to its censorship of Gilley's comment "all men are created equal" in his retweet from UO's diversity, equity and inclusion office Twitter page, according to Gilley's lawyers.

Gilley secured a preliminary injunction last summer that stops UO Equity's account on X, formerly Twitter, from blocking his interactions or "hiding, muting, or deleting" several kinds of his posts to its account. They settled in full this spring after nearly three years in court, with UO changing some policies, but how much UO would have to pay Gilley in legal fees was still hanging.

The fee award came down Monday from U.S. District Judge John Acosta, Gilley's lawyers at the Institute for Free Speech said Tuesday. IFS initially posted Acosta's letter but removed it after noticing "some confidential information," a spokesperson told Just the News.

[CFW]

This was such an obvious case of violation of the First Amendment I can't believe the university let it get so far. They should have settled immediately after the case was filed and offered at least a nominal amount in attorney fees. Of course, it is Oregon.

[Paladin2]

LLLLLNot enough, by FAR

[Amendment10]

Thank you for referencing that article CFW.

"Judge orders University of Oregon to pay $191,000 to censored conservative professor: lawyers"

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Noting that I'm not up to speed with this U of Oregon case, I'm filing it with 14th Amendment (14A)-based UC Berkeley case below.

• "14th Amendment, Section 1: All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States [emphasis added]; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."

• UC Berkeley settles landmark free speech lawsuit, will pay $70,000 to conservative group (12.4.18)

Regardless that the universities lost these cases, I suspect that state and possibly federal taxpayers are actually paying the compensation instead of the state actors who abridged constitutionally enumerated protections. And if such is the case, then that totally defeats the purpose of the punishment aspect for violating Sec. 1 of 14A imo.

[ChildOfThe60s]

The pain needs to be great enough that the university sees the perpetrators as a financial liability. I’m not seeing that with these numbers

[LouAvul]

Shoulda been at least 10 times that.

[LS]

No. Feds take half of that in taxes. Need to add a zero.

[Paladin2]

Two zeros as appropriate punishment.

[Though Yuge GaoL Time couLd be appropriate.]

[Dr. Sivana]

Feds take half of that in taxes. Need to add a zero.

I thought court awards were not subject to federal taxes.

[Dr. Sivana]

I just looked it up. Most judgments are subject. Figures.

[LS]

Hmm. You may be right.

[Twotone]

If you would like more information about what’s happening in Oregon, please FReepmail me. Please send me your name by FReepmail if you want to be on this list.

[conservative_cyclist]

exactly, if it were the other way politically, it would $191million.