On July 8, 2025, Texas State University informed Idris Robinson, an assistant professor of philosophy, that his contract would not be renewed at the end of 2025-26 academic year.
Robinson, a tenure-track assistant professor who had worked at Texas State (a public state institution) since 2022, is an expert on political violence. Texas State did not provide a clear reason for the end of Robinson’s contract, but the decision not to renew his contract was apparently connected to a talk that the professor gave in June 2024 at the Another Carolina Anarchist Book Fair in Asheville, North Carolina. During the talk, titled, “Strategic Lessons from the Palestinian Resistance,” Robinson did not identify himself as an employee of Texas State. A clash between audience members disrupted the talk, and Robinson was unable to finish his lecture. Police responded to the violence; a police report released six months later concluded that Robinson was not involved in the fight. The day after the talk, Robinson participated in a public question and answer during which he referred to the previous day’s events as a “riot” and to his talk as the “most anarchist talk ever.” Robinson later explained that those comments had been made in jest.
One year later, on June 5, 2025, a social media account unaffiliated with either Robinson or the university posted about Robinson’s talk on Instagram. The 16-slide post took quotes from Robinson out of context and accused him of inciting violence and glorifying terrorism. It provided an email and phone number and called on viewers to contact the President of Texas State to demand Robinson’s firing. That night, the philosophy department chair told Robinson that the university was receiving “strange calls” about him. The following day, Texas State senior vice-provost Vedaraman Sriraman informed Robinson that he was being placed on administrative leave because of complaints related to his talk a year prior. The following month, the university informed Robinson that his contract with the university would end on May 31, 2026. No reason was provided, and the decision was made despite the fact that Robinson had excellent performance reviews. Robinson appealed the decision, but Texas State denied his appeal.
In March 2026, Robinson filed a lawsuit against Texas State, accusing the university of violating his First Amendment Rights by retaliating against him for speech made as a private citizen. On May 11, US District Judge Alan Albright ordered Texas State to maintain Robinson’s employment for one year or until the lawsuit is resolved.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about the decision not to renew an academic appointment to a scholar in retaliation for him speaking publicly on a matter within his area of professional expertise. Scholars at Risk is equally concerned that the decision appears to have been influenced by pressure on university officials from outside the institution. University authorities have an obligation to refrain from retaliatory actions intended to punish, restrict, or chill the exercise of academic freedom, and to ensure that hiring decisions are driven solely by academic considerations and remain free from outside pressure. Failure to meet these obligations undermines academic freedom, university autonomy, and democratic society generally.
Sources
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/25/texas-state-university-professor-lawsuit-fired-israel-palestine/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/25/professor-texas-state-university-israel-palestine
https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/texas-state-university-hit-with-second-free-speech-lawsuit/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/14/texas-professor-fired-palestine-idris-robinson
https://www.fire.org/news/judge-orders-texas-state-rehire-professor-fired-over-viral-gaza-panel
https://www.instagram.com/p/DKh734Ux8AQ/?img_index=6&igsh=MXByYjVoZXFqbTE0Mg%3D%3D