Story at a glance

• Senate Bill 294 was signed by GOP Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and excludes any act that carries a criminal penalty from free-speech protections.

• This means campus free-speech policies no longer protect acts of civil disobedience.

• The law has been decried by both students and faculty who say it criminalizes protected free speech.

(NewsNation) — Louisiana passed a new law this week limiting free speech on campuses, purportedly aimed to curb pro-Palestinian protests in colleges.

Senate Bill 294 was signed by GOP Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and excludes any act that carries a criminal penalty from free-speech protections. This means campus free-speech policies no longer protect acts of civil disobedience, reported The Louisiana Illuminator.

“What we need on college campuses is education, not activists,” Republican state senator Valarie Hodges, who........

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