2 sources·Started 6d ago·Updated 6d ago

Lawsuit Challenges Texas Tech Directives on Teaching at Medical School

Texas Tech Health El PasoAmerican Association of University ProfessorsBrandon CreightonTexas Tech University SystemSenate Bill 37Senate Bill 17Paul L. Foster School of MedicineTodd Wolfson

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A lawsuit filed by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) challenges Texas Tech University System directives that restrict teaching on topics related to sex, race, gender identity, and sexual orientation at its El Paso medical school. A faculty member reportedly self-censored part of a course on underserved populations and was told not to use the word 'disparity' in class Source: AP News.

Key Developments

The AAUP and its Texas chapter filed the lawsuit on July 8, 2026, against Chancellor Brandon Creighton and the Board of Regents, seeking an immediate injunction Source: AP News.
The directives, issued in memoranda in December 2025 and April 2026, ordered a review of course material to align with Senate Bill 37, which enforces existing prohibitions on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives Source: AP News.
Campus officials evaluated about 8,500 courses by early May 2026, with dozens modified. At Texas Tech Health El Paso, this eliminated discussions of health disparities among racial and sexual minorities Source: AP News.

Todd Wolfson, AAUP president, called the directives 'a chilling, top-down attack on the freedom to teach' Source: AP News. The system's office expressed confidence that its policies are lawful, but declined further comment Source: AP News.

Sources

5 quotes

AP News↗

“A Texas Tech Health El Paso faculty member self-censored part of a course about El Paso’s underserved population – and campus leaders have told them not to use the word 'disparity' in class, according to a recent lawsuit.”

AP News↗

“On Friday, the plaintiffs asked the U.S. district court for the Western District of Texas El Paso Division for an immediate injunction to stop the system’s policies that control if or how faculty may teach those topics.”

AP News↗

“At issue are directives in memoranda that Creighton issued and the board approved in December 2025 and April 2026 that ordered administrators at the system’s five institutions to review course material for those prohibited subjects.”

AP News↗

“According to the plaintiffs’ attorneys, campus officials evaluated about 8,500 courses by early May 2026.”

AP News↗

““This isn’t academic oversight; it’s a chilling, top-down attack on the freedom to teach designed to intimidate faculty into silence,” said Todd Wolfson, AAUP president.”