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A Texas State University professor who was fired after being accused of inciting violence will be reinstated after a judge on Friday granted an injunction in his lawsuit against the university.
Thomas Alter was fired on Sept. 10 after a video of him at an online socialist conference was posted online depicting him talking about political organization, which university administration said allegedly “advocate[d] for inciting violence.” Alter, whose tenure officially began on Sept. 1, subsequently sued the university, alleging they violated due process by terminating him abruptly.
Hays County District Judge Alicia Key granted an injunction Friday that allows Alter to be reinstated. The university will now review Alter’s case through its standard faculty investigative process alongside the suit, Alter’s lawyer said.
Alter will not be allowed to teach classes but will be reinstated with pay, according to a statement from Texas State University.
The professor’s firing was one of several recent cases at Texas State University where administration has stepped in to respond to comments made by students and staff on and off campus. A Texas State University student was given the decision to be expelled or withdraw his enrollment after he mocked conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death. A faculty recruiter was also fired for comments she made online related to the student, according to Rep. Erin Zwiener, D-Driftwood, and a spokesperson for the university.
On Thursday, local politicians and advocacy groups in the San Marcos area held a rally demanding that Alter have his job reinstated. Speakers, including Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra and Zwiener, said Alter’s firing was indicative of authoritarian government overreach and pre-emptive compliance from university officials.
In an interview prior to Alter’s reinstatement, Zwiener said that while she didn’t agree with everything the professor had said at the socialist conference, she still believed in his constitutional right to speak his mind.
“If you actually watch all of Dr. Alter's speech, I think his harsher words are for the Democratic Party and about how organizing within the Democratic Party is a waste of time, which is something I disagree with vociferously,” Zwiener said on Thursday. “I believe the Democratic Party is the way to make change, but Dr. Alter thinking that my political party isn't useful doesn't stop me from advocating for him to have certain rights.”
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