Fired for criticizing Israel, professor takes university of Kentucky to court

A veteran law professor at the University of Kentucky has been barred from teaching and from the law school due to his statements about Israel, including describing the regime as a colonial project and calling on the world to wage war against it.

According to reports, the law professor has now filed a lawsuit against the University of Kentucky.

Ramsay Woodcock, an antitrust law researcher, argued in a federal lawsuit that the university’s sudden dismissal of him in July—just days after his promotion to full professor—violated his First Amendment rights and due process protections under university policies.

The lawsuit represents a new chapter in growing pushback against universities for their use of the so-called IHRA definition.

Dozens of faculty members at private and public universities across the U.S. have faced investigations for criticizing Israel, accusations that have been labeled as antisemitic. In some cases, these individuals were dismissed or pressured to leave their institutions.

This is the first lawsuit filed by a professor challenging a university that explicitly cites conflicts between the IHRA definition and the U.S. Constitution, as well as Title VI anti-discrimination protections, in relation to criticism of Israel.

According to a letter sent by the university to Woodcock, the investigation into the professor began after external parties complained about his statements criticizing Israel at off-campus academic conferences, on a website he runs, and in private chat groups of the American Association of Law Schools.