UT Regents' New 'Controversial' Topic Policy Threatens Academic Freedom

Emeritus professor worries new rules could prohibit teaching about historical voter suppression and attacks on democracy.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

A University of Texas emeritus professor expresses concerns that the UT Regents' new policy on 'controversial' topics could prevent him from teaching about historical voter suppression and attacks on democracy in his course on the subject. He argues the policy itself is undemocratic and threatens academic freedom on campus.

Why it matters

The new UT policy on 'controversial' topics raises concerns about the university's commitment to academic freedom and the open discussion of important issues related to the health of American democracy, from historical voter suppression to modern threats.

The details

The professor, an emeritus at UT, says he would not be willing to provide an 'alternate defense of autocracies' as the new policy seems to require. He worries he could not teach about examples of institutional racism and voter suppression, like the 'White Primary' system struck down by the Supreme Court, without running afoul of the vague new rules. The professor contrasts this with his experience as a student at the University of Alabama during the civil rights era, when professors openly criticized the state's lack of democracy and denial of voting rights to Black citizens.

  • The University of Texas Regents recently enacted new rules on 'controversial' topics.
  • The professor taught a course on voter suppression for years prior to the new policy.

The players

Bryan Jones

A professor emeritus at the University of Texas and the J.J. 'Jake' Pickle Regents' Chair in Congressional Studies, Emeritus.

University of Texas Regents

The governing body of the University of Texas system that enacted the new policy on 'controversial' topics.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Yet today the course would risk running afoul of the University of Texas Regents' vague rules against teaching controversial material and advocating for particular points of view. Indeed, advocating for democracy now appears to be 'controversial,' since the Board of Regents' rules are themselves undemocratic because they violate the First Amendment.”

— Bryan Jones, Professor Emeritus (statesman.com)

“Surely this is racism. Just as surely institutions — government and parties — did the dirty deed. Could I teach this example of institutional racism today, under the Regents' rules? Yes or no, UT administration? If yes, then would I be empowered to teach the whole sordid history of Jim Crow denials of voting rights? That Texas was not a democracy during this period? That the voter suppression techniques developed in the 1890s are repeated today? Could we discuss whether this continues to be institutional racism?”

— Bryan Jones, Professor Emeritus (statesman.com)

What’s next

The University of Texas administration has not clarified whether professors will be allowed to teach about historical examples of voter suppression and attacks on democracy under the new 'controversial' topics policy.

The takeaway

The new UT policy on 'controversial' topics raises serious concerns about the university's commitment to academic freedom and the open discussion of critical issues related to the health of American democracy. If enforced, the policy could prevent professors from teaching about important historical examples of voter suppression and institutional racism.