Free-Speech Settlement
University of Washington Pays Professor $600,000 to Settle First Amendment Lawsuit
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Key Points
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The Ninth Circuit held that Reges’s statement was protected speech rather than government speech because he spoke in his personal capacity as a professor and addressed a matter of public concern.
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About 30 percent of Reges’s students transferred to the alternative section created by the university after his parody was removed from the online syllabus.
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While the appeal was pending, the University of Washington rescinded and replaced Executive Order 31, the anti-harassment policy used in the investigation of Reges.
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The $600,000 settlement is being paid to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression to cover damages, legal fees and costs.
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Reges’s parody invoked philosopher John Locke’s labor theory of property, linking the statement to the idea that property rights are established through labor; he had criticized UW’s recommended land acknowledgments in a faculty email the month before using the parody.
The University of Washington agreed to pay computer science professor Stuart Reges $600,000 to settle his First Amendment lawsuit over a parody land acknowledgment in his course syllabus, according to Axios. The dispute centered on Reges's satirical statement about Indigenous land claims, which he included after the university encouraged—but did not require—faculty to add a standard acknowledgment.
A federal appeals court ruled that UW violated Reges's free speech rights by removing the parody, investigating him under an anti-harassment policy, and creating a competing course section to redirect students. KOMO News reported that the settlement bars the university from removing the statement from his syllabi, investigating him over it, or taking any related adverse action.
How Reges's Parody Sparked a Four-Year Legal Fight
Reges wrote a sarcastic land acknowledgment invoking philosopher John Locke's labor theory of property. He argued that under this framework—which ties property rights to labor—the Coast Salish people could claim historical ownership of almost none of UW's land. Campus Reform noted that Reges had criticized the university's recommended acknowledgments in a faculty email the previous month before adding his parody.
University officials removed the statement from the online syllabus and launched an investigation under an anti-harassment policy. They also created an alternative course section, causing about 30 percent of Reges's students to transfer away, Wenatchee World reported. The professor then sued, claiming retaliation and viewpoint discrimination against protected speech.
Federal Court Sided With Professor on Free Speech Grounds
The Ninth Circuit appeals court ruled that Reges's parody qualified as protected speech, not government speech. The judges found that he spoke in his personal capacity as a professor and addressed a matter of public concern. Lucianne reported that the court concluded UW retaliated against him specifically for the content and viewpoint of his statement, violating the First Amendment.
While the appeal was pending, UW rescinded and replaced Executive Order 31—the anti-harassment policy used to investigate Reges. The $600,000 settlement was awarded to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, covering damages, legal fees, and costs associated with the case.
Reges Hopes Case Reinforces Academic Free Speech Rights
Reges stated he hopes the settlement will strengthen public universities' First Amendment obligations and challenge what he views as ideological conformity in academia. The case sets a precedent: universities cannot penalize professors for satirizing institutional policies, even ones related to sensitive topics like Indigenous rights, when the speech occurs in a personal and public-facing context.
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