Judge: Suspended UK professor cannot teach spring semester, investigation continues
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Judge denies professor’s reinstatement; court stays suit pending investigation by university
- Judge finds university may lawfully investigate speech; First Amendment claim rejected
- Professor remains barred from law building and classroom while retaining pay and benefits
A federal judge has denied a request from a suspended University of Kentucky professor to be reinstated and allowed to teach during the spring 2026 semester.
Ramsi Woodcock was suspended by the university July 18 for using speech UK President Eli Capilouto described as hateful and repugnant. Woodcock, a law professor, circulated a petition last summer calling for the end of the Israeli nation and in support of Palestine in the Gaza war.
The university removed Woodcock from the classroom and banned him from the J. David Rosenberg College of Law building while an external investigation takes place. Woodcock filed a lawsuit against the university in mid-November, claiming his comments are protected under the First Amendment.
Woodcock recently asked a federal judge to pause UK’s investigation until the lawsuit resolves and allow him to teach this semester, which begins Monday, Jan. 12.
Thursday, U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves denied Woodcock’s request and instead granted a motion from UK to put proceedings in the lawsuit on hold while the university investigates.
“Once the investigation is completed or any subsequent disciplinary procedures have concluded and claims have been exhausted, the stay will be lifted, and Woodcock will be free to amend his complaint if necessary,” Reeves wrote in his Jan. 8 ruling.
Woodcock argues his speech regarding Palestine is protected and the university’s investigation is unconstitutional. Reeves wrote that argument is illegitimate, and the university has a right to conduct an investigation.
“The University’s investigation into Woodcock’s speech does not meet the high standard of being ‘flagrantly and patently’ unconstitutional,” Reeves wrote. “Circumstances exist in which the University can lawfully restrict the speech of its employees.”
Woodcock also argues his removal from the classroom and banishment from the law building is causing irreparable harm. He claimed his teaching skill “decays rapidly without practice” and not being able to access the building’s library hinders his ability to research.
Reeves wrote in his ruling he disagrees with Woodcock’s argument and does not find it meets the “demanding standard” of proving irreparable damage.
“Since most legal research can be conducted electronically, the lack of access to the law library does not present a convincing barrier to Woodcock’s ability to research,” Reeves’ ruling reads. “In any event, the possibility that Woodcock may become less practiced at teaching or research does not constitute great and immediate irreparable harm.”
In the same ruling, Reeves also denied a motion from UK to dismiss the lawsuit. The parties involved in the case are required to check in with the judge every 30 days to update him on the status of the investigation.
How Woodcock developed and shared his views
Woodcock became a tenured professor at UK in 2022 with antitrust law as his primary academic expertise. He previously testified the university encouraged him to research another topic after achieving tenure, so he started studying international law and decolonization.
His research led him to believe Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people, and Israel must cease to exist, according to court documents. Woodcock said he believes international law gives nations a “responsibility to protect” and authorizes military intervention to stop genocide.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports that as of the end of November, more than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the Gaza war. The death toll has risen even in periods of ceasefire.
Woodcock started publicly sharing his views in February 2024 in a paper shared to the law college’s faculty listserv, and occasionally used the school’s listserv going forward, according to court documents.
That same month, Woodcock attended the 27th annual George Mason Law Review Antitrust Symposium and made a statement opposing the U.S. government’s support of Israel before speaking on a panel. He testified at a Dec. 19 hearing he felt an obligation to make the statement because of his duty as an international law scholar.
His remarks did not generate a response, and the panel continued on as normal, he testified. A video of the panel was recorded and published on YouTube.
In May 2025, Woodcock attended a Law and Technology Conference at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and made a similar statement about Israel before speaking. The conference continued on as normal until a guest called Woodcock a terrorist during a question and answer session, he said during testimony.
On July 6, 2025, a little more than week before being suspended, Woodcock shared the petition calling for the end of Israel in four Association of American Law Schools listservs. Court documents say other faculty members have shared political content there, but there are no apparent instances of other faculty being investigated.
Since his suspension, Woodcock has frequently used his social media accounts to share his beliefs. He also runs a personal website, which has a petition calling for Capilouto’s resignation.
Arguments over free speech
Woodcock is arguing the First Amendment protects a professor’s speech on matters of public concern, such as the war in Gaza. He is also arguing his speech is academic and not related to his role at UK, but made instead as a private citizen.
Woodcock previously testified he did not speak on behalf of the university when he attended the conferences. He said he never notified UK of his participation in the George Mason conference, nor did it fund his trip.
However, the university argues Woodcock appeared at the conferences as a UK law professor and was “simply ranting at the university’s expense,” court documents say.
The university also argues Woodcock spoke about a topic outside his expertise, which wasn’t applicable to the subject of the conference. Woodcock testified scholars attend conferences to learn and hear new things, and he felt his statement was appropriate for the audience.
When UK suspended Woodcock in July, Capiluto said the comments “can be interpreted as antisemitic in accordance with state and federal guidance.”
“Because antisemitic statements can violate Title VI and because the University cannot ignore a possible Title VI violation, the University began to investigate Professor Woodcock’s actions,” court documents say.
Antisemitism was not addressed specifically during the Dec. 19 hearing, but Woodcock said he would never discriminate or treat any student differently.
Woodcock argues the university treated Israel “as a protected class” to silence his point of view, court documents say. He testified that if he expressed opinions against Iran, he believes the university wouldn’t react the same.
The university also argues Woodcock’s speech would not have been protected if he spoke as a university employee or used the university’s resources to promote it. If his speech rose to the level of harassment, it also would not have been protected, court documents say.
Details of the investigation
The external investigator is focused on determining if Woodcock used university resources to promote his petition, if he took control of panel discussions to present his beliefs, if he spammed listservs with antisemitic views and if he made antisemitic comments at a public event, according to court documents.
The university received eight allegations against Woodcock in July, all related to speech about Israel or Palestine from professors at other institutions who expressed concern.
If the investigation finds Woodcock’s speech was protected and he didn’t violate university policy, he would likely be reinstated in the classroom, court documents say.
None of the accusations were related to Woodcock’s teaching or interactions with students. However, Interim Dean of UK’s College of Law James Duff previously testified Woodcock’s behavior posed a risk, and the decision to remove him from the classroom was for the students’ benefit.
Duff also said the decision to suspend Woodcock followed set protocols for those accused of misconduct.
Woodcock has been paid and is receiving medical benefits while the investigation is underway, he testified. He also can continue researching and still has access to his university email.
This story was originally published January 9, 2026 at 12:13 PM.
