The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
does not protect individual academic freedom, according to the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. In Urofsy v. Gilmore (2000), the Fourth
Circuit’s full panel ruled that public employers have broad rights to
restrict the speech of their employees in the course of their employment.
In January, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to
review the decision. At issue was a Virginia statute that prohibits any state
employee from viewing sexually explicit material on computers owned or leased
by the state. Exceptions can be made by a state agency head when viewing
such materials is required in connection with a bona fide research project or
other undertaking.
