A car passes in front of the LSU Law Center on Monday, March 20, 2023, on Highland Road in Baton Rouge, La. (Matthew Perschall for Louisiana Illuminator)
An LSU law school professor has reportedly been removed from teaching classes for making political comments in the classroom, his attorney says.
LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center Dean Alena Allen told students in a zoom meeting Tuesday that tenured law professor Ken Levy is being replaced pending an investigation.
Baton Rouge attorney Jill Craft, who is representing Levy, said he intends to fight the reprimand.
“We cannot live and exist in a country where people are punished because of their opinions, their thoughts and their words,” Craft said. “This is particularly true in the area of academic freedom. If we take that away, it takes away the cornerstone of this democracy. And then we don’t have one anymore.”
LSU spokesman Todd Woodward confirmed Levy is not currently teaching but declined to comment further on university personnel issues.
Allen has not yet responded to a request for comment.
One of Levy’s students, Kristen Graham-Winkles, was in the meeting where Allen told students about the professor’s removal. She said the dean referred to an “ongoing investigation” of Levy, whose main areas of expertise are criminal and constitutional law,
Levy has not shied away from sharing his thoughts on politics and has openly criticized Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, Graham-Winkles said, adding that the professor is very well-liked and that students were upset to learn he is being punished.
“He just kind of fosters communicating … even the people who I know voted for Trump, a lot of them were like, ‘No, no, no. We love this guy.’ So we want to know who reported it and what they said because it’s probably not true.”
The investigation into Levy comes less than three months after Landry openly called for LSU Law professor Nick Bryner to be punished for criticizing President Donald Trump in the classroom the day after he was re-elected. Bryner is still employed by the university.
This is a developing story
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by Piper Hutchinson, Louisiana Illuminator
January 21, 2025
by Piper Hutchinson, Louisiana Illuminator
January 21, 2025
An LSU law school professor has reportedly been removed from teaching classes for making political comments in the classroom, his attorney says.
LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center Dean Alena Allen told students in a zoom meeting Tuesday that tenured law professor Ken Levy is being replaced pending an investigation.
Baton Rouge attorney Jill Craft, who is representing Levy, said he intends to fight the reprimand.
“We cannot live and exist in a country where people are punished because of their opinions, their thoughts and their words,” Craft said. “This is particularly true in the area of academic freedom. If we take that away, it takes away the cornerstone of this democracy. And then we don’t have one anymore.”
LSU spokesman Todd Woodward confirmed Levy is not currently teaching but declined to comment further on university personnel issues.
Allen has not yet responded to a request for comment.
One of Levy’s students, Kristen Graham-Winkles, was in the meeting where Allen told students about the professor’s removal. She said the dean referred to an “ongoing investigation” of Levy, whose main areas of expertise are criminal and constitutional law,
Levy has not shied away from sharing his thoughts on politics and has openly criticized Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, Graham-Winkles said, adding that the professor is very well-liked and that students were upset to learn he is being punished.
“He just kind of fosters communicating … even the people who I know voted for Trump, a lot of them were like, ‘No, no, no. We love this guy.’ So we want to know who reported it and what they said because it’s probably not true.”
The investigation into Levy comes less than three months after Landry openly called for LSU Law professor Nick Bryner to be punished for criticizing President Donald Trump in the classroom the day after he was re-elected. Bryner is still employed by the university.
This is a developing story
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.
Piper Hutchinson is a reporter for the Louisiana Illuminator. She has covered the Legislature and state government extensively for the LSU Manship News Service and The Reveille, where she was named editor in chief for summer 2022.
Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization with a mission to cast light on how decisions in Baton Rouge are made and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians. Our in-depth investigations and news stories, news briefs and commentary help residents make sense of how state policies help or hurt them and their neighbors statewide.
We’re part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. (See full republishing guidelines.)
© Louisiana Illuminator, 2025
