Texas strips protections for teachers, parents who share ‘obscene’ material with children

A fiery debate on the House floor Friday gave way to the Senate Bill 412’s final vote. Supporters say it’s needed to protect children.

by Jess Huff and Sofia Sorochinskaia, The Texas Tribune May 3, 2025May 22, 2025

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These librarians won’t let America’s fever hit Fahrenheit 451

A new documentary shows us our local guardians of intellectual freedom in battle.

by Josephine Lee, The Texas Observer March 23, 2025May 8, 2025

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University of Texas System bans drag shows in campus facilities

The move comes a few weeks after the Texas A&M System issued a similar ban, which is being challenged in court.

by Jessica Priest, The Texas Tribune March 18, 2025May 5, 2025

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Texas A&M System bans drag shows from its universities

The move potentially sets up a new First Amendment fight between students and university administrators.

by Jessica Priest, The Texas Tribune March 1, 2025March 24, 2025

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Texas’ social media law takes another hit with temporary blocks on three more provisions

The new injunction prohibits advertising and age verification restrictions in the SCOPE Act, which aims to make social media safer for teenagers.

by Ayden Runnels, The Texas Tribune February 7, 2025February 12, 2025

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Texas professors self-censor for fear of retaliation, survey found

At least a third of respondents at UT-Austin, UT-Dallas and Texas A&M said they’re not sure administrators at their universities protect free speech on campus.

by Kate McGee, The Texas Tribune December 12, 2024April 10, 2025

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Free speech groups challenge Texas law requiring parental consent for kids’ social media

Tech groups have also sued to block the state law from going into effect Sept. 1.

by Pooja Salhotra, The Texas Tribune August 19, 2024November 16, 2024

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Texas AG Ken Paxton sues Houston immigrants’ rights org over political speech

Attorney General Ken Paxton has targeted similar organizations that aid migrants at the border. The lawsuit appears to be the first to focus on political speech and rules that govern nonprofits.

by Alejandro Serrano, The Texas Tribune August 17, 2024May 30, 2025

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San Antonio college students send letter demanding right to protest Gaza war

The students asked their school administrations to ‘publicly oppose’ an order from Gov. Greg Abbott asking universities to rein in speech about the Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

by Sanford Nowlin May 2, 2024December 12, 2024

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Faculty petition to hold no-confidence vote in UT-Austin president after protest response

President Jay Hartzell defended the response but faculty criticized the presence of armed state troopers. Fifty-seven people were arrested.

by Robert Downey, Ikram Mohamed and William Melhado, The Texas Tribune April 25, 2024November 22, 2024

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As Texas students clash over Israel-Hamas war, Gov. Greg Abbott orders colleges to revise free speech policies

The governor singled out pro-Palestine groups and said they should be subject to discipline.

by Sneha Dey, The Texas Tribune March 27, 2024April 15, 2025

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How plans for a West Texas drag show turned into a war over the First Amendment

In the staunchly conservative Panhandle, LGBTQ+ Texans say political and legal battles overlook their humanity.

by William Melhado, The Texas Tribune March 23, 2024July 28, 2025

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Bad Takes: Texas’ attacks on libraries are attacks on valuable public institutions

Recent religiously motivated campaigns in the Lone Star State seek to ban books and saddle libraries with onerous censorship regimes.

by Kevin Sanchez March 21, 2024November 14, 2024

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The booksellers’ revolt

Texas’ READER Act would have required vendors to rate books on “explicitness” before selling to schools — and blacklisted those that didn’t comply.

by Matthew Patin, The Texas Observer March 16, 2024June 2, 2025

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Does the First Amendment apply to social media moderation? The U.S. Supreme Court will decide.

In 2021, Texas passed a law restricting large social media companies from banning political posts or users. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a legal challenge to the state law.

by Pooja Salhotra, The Texas Tribune February 26, 2024December 5, 2024

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Appeals court blocks Texas from enforcing book rating law

Plaintiffs claimed that the 2023 law, which required book vendors to rate the explicitness of sexual references in materials sold to schools, was unconstitutionally broad.

by William Melhado, The Texas Tribune January 18, 2024April 20, 2024

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Space Cadet: For all the grandiosity of Elon Musk’s vision, it’s morally bankrupt

Recent Texas transplant Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has entertained us all in recent weeks with plenty of real-life tailspins, many self-inflicted.

by Kevin Sanchez January 9, 2024July 2, 2025

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Federal judge seems wary of Texas ban on TikTok at public universities

Texas joined more than 30 other states in banning TikTok on government-issued phones and computers. A nationwide coalition of professors sued the state over the ban, arguing it has limited their ability to teach and research the social media app.

by Maia Pandey, The Texas Tribune November 17, 2023December 5, 2024

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Book bans in Texas spread as new state law takes effect

As Texas enters its third straight school year of coordinated book banning activity, a growing number of districts are targeting library books. Caught in the dragnet: books featuring a “naked” crayon and one with a cartoon butt.

by Jeremy Schwartz, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica October 11, 2023November 14, 2024

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Federal judge rules Texas’ anti-drag law unconstitutional

‘LGBTQIA+ Texans, venue owners, performers, and our allies all came together to uphold free expression in our state — and we won,’ the ACLU of Texas said.

by Sanford Nowlin September 26, 2023June 26, 2024