Federal Judge Tosses UT Professors' Suit Over 'Campus Carry'
AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A federal court has dismissed a lawsuit by three University of Texas professors who argued that the state's "campus carry" law could have a "chilling effect" stifling classroom debate.
After learning of the decision Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said, "The court's ruling today is the correct outcome. The fact that a small group of professors dislike a law and speculate about a 'chilling effect' is hardly a valid basis to set the law aside."
Sociology professor Jennifer Lynn Glass and English professors Lisa Moore and Mia Carter sued last summer. The law took effect in September and requires public universities to allow Texans with concealed handgun licenses to carry weapons on campus and inside school buildings.
The professors teach emotional topics including abortion and gay rights, and said guns in classrooms could lead to self-censorship. They argued that would potentially disrupt academic discussions and violate constitutional free speech protections.
But Austin-based U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel dismissed the case in a Thursday ruling, saying the professors' attorneys offered "no concrete evidence to substantiate their fears."
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)