The U.S. Military Academy at West Point agreed Wednesday to a permanent legal ban on its controversial policy limiting what professors can say and write publicly, although an attorney for the academy left open the possibility of a later appeal.
At a conference held by telephone before U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel, federal attorney Dana Walsh Kumar said West Point and the government did not wish to engage in discovery or a trial as part of a lawsuit filed last year by Tim Bakken, the school’s longest-serving law professor. Bakken had challenged a policy implemented in early 2025 that barred faculty members from publishing papers, speaking at conferences or even appearing on a podcast without first seeking approval from higher-ups in their department.
Instead, Kumar said, West Point believed “the best path forward” would be to proceed swiftly to judgment. She said the government was at work drafting a final version of a temporary ruling Seibel had issued this spring in the case, which barred enforcement of the speech policy for civilian faculty and also decreed Bakken must not be limited in his ability to address students in class while the professor’s case proceeded. She said the government planned to send the draft to Bakken’s attorneys before submitting it to Seibel for her final approval.
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