Federal Judge Orders Ohio State University to Remedy Violation of Student’s Constitutional Rights

COLUMBUS – Today a federal judge in the Southern District of Ohio ruled in favor of our client, Guy Christensen, in our lawsuit challenging Ohio State University’s decision to expel him for engaging in protected political speech. The court found that his expulsion likely violated his First Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The case was filed in September 2025 after campus officials summarily disenrolled Guy Christensen without a hearing, following controversy surrounding a series of videos he posted on his personal social media pages expressing opinions related to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

The judge held that Mr. Christensen had demonstrated a “strong likelihood of success” in showing that his speech was protected by the First Amendment, and that the videos he released did not incite or threaten unlawful violence. The actions taken by the University, including disenrollment of Mr. Christensen without allowing any hearing, were found to have likely violated both his free speech and due process rights. With today’s preliminary injunction, Ohio State University has been ordered to expunge any of Mr. Christensen’s student records that indicate that he was involuntarily disenrolled.

David Carey, Managing Legal Director for the ACLU of Ohio, delivered oral argument for this case on Monday, January 12.

A statement from David Carey, Managing Legal Director:

“Today’s ruling underscores one of the most foundational concepts of our Constitution: political opinions may not be silenced or punished merely because they may give offense. We applaud the court’s ruling not only for its vindication of a student’s right to free expression, but also as a critical reminder to our institutions of higher education. Universities must and should stand against efforts to silence or punish dissenting ideas, not facilitate those efforts at the expense of their students.”

The ACLU and its affiliates are a U.S.-focused civil liberties and human rights organization and, as a matter of official policy, does not take positions on other nations’ overseas conflicts.