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Reinstated law professor claims LSU owes him nearly 100k after 21 month suspension
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BATON ROUGE — A tenured Louisiana State University law professor removed from teaching after making political remarks during class was reinstated, and is speaking with WBRZ in his first TV interview.
Ken Levy, a faculty member at LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center, was removed from his teaching duties in January 2025 following student complaints regarding political commentary delivered in class. LSU officials notified him of his reinstatement last month, clearing the way for his return to teaching in the spring.
In his first televised interview since the suspension, Levy maintained that his remarks — namely 'F**k the governor' — were protected speech and condemned the university’s actions.
"I had done nothing wrong, and here I was about to be jobless," Levy said. "It was just so wrong. Legally, morally. I still can't believe they did this."
Levy filed suit against the university following his removal. While an appeals court ruled that LSU did not violate his procedural due process rights, Levy argued the university reinstated him as an admission of its error.
"LSU realized they did me wrong. They had a very weak case. I have a very strong case," he said.
While cleared to teach, Levy says the matter is far from over. He estimates LSU owes him approximately $95,000 in withheld salary, benefits and retirement contributions accumulated during the nearly two-year removal.
"You cannot suspend a tenured faculty member for protected speech for 21 months and merely reinstate that faculty member and think that's the end of it — no," Levy said. "They have to compensate me."
Levy’s reinstatement, however, came with conditions. In a formal letter to Levy, LSU Provost Jonathan Messina wrote that expressing personal political viewpoints and introducing extraneous political commentary into the classroom are inconsistent with university policy.
Levy asserted that those stipulations are an admission from LSU regarding the true reason behind his suspension.
"I think it's very much that I criticized the governor," Levy said, rejecting previous accusations leveled during the dispute. "It wasn't profanity, it wasn't indoctrination of the students, it wasn't threatening their grades as they had claimed."
Levy plans to address the controversy openly when classes resume in the spring semester, saying he wants to ensure an environment of open debate for his students.
"I don't want people to be afraid to speak their minds in my class," Levy said, "as long as it's relative to the subject matter."
LSU declined to comment, describing the matter as an HR issue. The office of Gov. Jeff Landry also declined to comment.
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