Federal Court Allows UT Austin Lawsuit Challenging Mass Arrests and Discipline of Pro-Palestine Protesters to Move Forward

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 2026
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Austin, TX / Washington, D.C. | The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), alongside co-counsel and partner organizations, welcomes a significant federal court decision allowing key First Amendment claims to proceed in a lawsuit brought on behalf of University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) students who were arrested and disciplined after participating in pro-Palestine protests on campus.

ADC filed the lawsuit on April 30, 2025, against UT Austin, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Former UT Austin President Jay Hartzell, current Interim President Jim Davis, and officers of the University of Texas Police Department (UTPD) and the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). The case challenges what plaintiffs allege was a coordinated effort to suppress pro-Palestine speech and mobilization through mass arrests, physical intimidation, and punitive discipline following a peaceful campus protest on April 24, 2024.

“This ruling is an important step toward holding government officials accountable for arresting and punishing students for engaging in protected speech,” said ADC National Legal Director Jenin Younes. “Our Constitution protects peaceful advocacy, especially on matters of public concern, and the court’s decision makes clear that these claims cannot simply be brushed aside before the evidence is examined. The state and the university targeted only pro-Palestine protestors, which is clearly viewpoint discriminatory and entirely anathema to the First Amendment.”

Background of the case

In its April 2025 complaint, ADC alleged that state officials, UT Austin leadership, and law enforcement orchestrated mass arrests and imposed retaliatory disciplinary actions against peaceful pro-Palestine protesters. Plaintiffs allege officers arrested students without probable cause and used aggressive crowd-control tactics, including tackling students, zip-tying students tightly enough to cause bruising and numbness, and forcibly removing a Muslim student’s hijab. Plaintiffs further allege that even after criminal charges were dropped for lack of probable cause, UT Austin administrators imposed retaliatory discipline—academic holds, suspensions, and threats of harsher sanctions—to deter future demonstrations.

What the decision means

In its ruling, the court partially granted and partially denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss. Critically, however, the court allowed core First Amendment claims to proceed, rejecting efforts by state officials and university leadership to end the case at the earliest stage. Judge David Alan Ezra acknowledged that allegations of viewpoint-based retaliation were plausible, recognizing that retaliation against pro-Palestine speech is a serious constitutional issue that must be examined.

The court further acknowledged allegations supporting the plaintiffs’ claim that pro-Palestine expression was treated differently from other controversial campus activities, underscoring the central concern of viewpoint-based retaliation.

The court additionally found the allegations sufficient at this stage to determine Governor Abbott’s involvement in the decisions to cancel protests and direct arrests, including allegations that DPS acted “at the direction” of the Governor and that his public tweets made during the protests called for arrests on viewpoint-based grounds. 

“When state and university officials respond to student organizing with arrests and punishment, they’re not just targeting a single protest—they’re trying to intimidate a generation into silence,” said ADC National Executive Director Abed Ayoub. “These students showed extraordinary courage in standing against genocide. ADC will stand with them through the next phase of this case to ensure the truth comes out and to help secure accountability so students can speak, assemble, and organize without fear of retaliation.”

ADC is litigating this case alongside its co-counsel and partners Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), the Law Office of Maria Kari, and Lee & Godshall-Bennett LLP.