Missouri State University Faces Free Speech Lawsuit

0:00It's April 21st. U.S. News Today starts now, AI-powered and nationwide. I'm Cory with the story. Missouri State University just got slapped with a federal lawsuit over its bias response policy. Filed by defending education, it claims the rule squashed students first and 14th Amendment rights by policing speech on campus and even social. Media posts. The policy kicks in for so-called, bias incidents, tied to traits like race, gender identity, religion, or politics. Reported students could end up in meetings getting schooled on why their words crossed the line, or worse, referred for actual discipline. Students rep by the group say this setup chills open talk, turning college into a no-free speech zone. The university pushes back, calling a non-punitive mediation to build consensus. Still, they earned an F-grade on free speech from wash dogs. These bias teams aren't new, other schools face suits too.

1:00One in New Jersey ditched theirs after losing in court, but an Indiana case held up this year. As this battle heats up in court, it spotlights the tightrope campuses walk between safety and free expression, with big implications for how colleges. Handle tough conversations ahead.