Aaron Corpora
@1aaronc.bsky.social
First Amendment advocate at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.
"The First Amendment serves not only the needs of the polity, but also those of the human spirit—a spirit that demands self-expression" --Thurgood Marshall
"The First Amendment serves not only the needs of the polity, but also those of the human spirit—a spirit that demands self-expression" --Thurgood Marshall
Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts PhD student arrested and detained for nothing more than authoring an op-ed critical of Israel, has released a harrowing op-ed about her time in detention. Please read: www.vanityfair.com/news/story/r...
“Even God Cannot Hear Us Here”: What I Witnessed Inside an ICE Women’s Prison
Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk opens up about her 45 days in a South Louisiana processing facility—and the generous and compassionate women she met.
www.vanityfair.com
July 17, 2025 at 8:13 PM
Rümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts PhD student arrested and detained for nothing more than authoring an op-ed critical of Israel, has released a harrowing op-ed about her time in detention. Please read: www.vanityfair.com/news/story/r...
FIRE's headed back to SCOTUS to defend Priscilla Villareal's right to do basic journalism in Texas. Appalling already that she's had to fight this hard: www.thefire.org/news/jailed-...
Jailed for basic journalism, Texas reporter takes free speech fight to Supreme Court
When local officials tried to turn journalism into a crime, Priscilla Villarreal refused to back down. Arrested for asking questions, now with FIRE at her side, she’s taking her fight all the way to t...
www.thefire.org
July 7, 2025 at 2:17 PM
FIRE's headed back to SCOTUS to defend Priscilla Villareal's right to do basic journalism in Texas. Appalling already that she's had to fight this hard: www.thefire.org/news/jailed-...
The United States is now forbidding entry to the land of the free solely for speech that would be First Amendment protected...and that didn't even occur in America? Wtf?
July 1, 2025 at 1:28 PM
The United States is now forbidding entry to the land of the free solely for speech that would be First Amendment protected...and that didn't even occur in America? Wtf?
Book banning: Still bad
June 27, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Book banning: Still bad
Reposted by Aaron Corpora
This is Rebecca. She was a PhD student at the University of Rochester.
After speaking out about harassment by a professor, the Eastman School of Music didn’t support her — they retaliated, then expelled her without warning.
All for telling the truth — and we need your help.
After speaking out about harassment by a professor, the Eastman School of Music didn’t support her — they retaliated, then expelled her without warning.
All for telling the truth — and we need your help.
June 18, 2025 at 9:10 PM
This is Rebecca. She was a PhD student at the University of Rochester.
After speaking out about harassment by a professor, the Eastman School of Music didn’t support her — they retaliated, then expelled her without warning.
All for telling the truth — and we need your help.
After speaking out about harassment by a professor, the Eastman School of Music didn’t support her — they retaliated, then expelled her without warning.
All for telling the truth — and we need your help.
Reposted by Aaron Corpora
VICTORY! After a FIRE lawsuit, a suburban NY school district cleared the record of an LGBTQ+ student punished over off-campus rap lyrics labeled as “hate speech” that included “twink” and “faggot.”
This is protected expression that should never have been punished in the first place.
This is protected expression that should never have been punished in the first place.
June 25, 2025 at 1:57 PM
VICTORY! After a FIRE lawsuit, a suburban NY school district cleared the record of an LGBTQ+ student punished over off-campus rap lyrics labeled as “hate speech” that included “twink” and “faggot.”
This is protected expression that should never have been punished in the first place.
This is protected expression that should never have been punished in the first place.
Yet another "divisive concepts" bill making its way towards law, this time in North Carolina. These bills are fundamentally over broad, and threaten the First Amendment rights of everyone.
ncnewsline.com/briefs/north...
ncnewsline.com/briefs/north...
North Carolina House advances bills targeting DEI programs in schools and universities • NC Newsline
The North Carolina House advanced legislation that would ban diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public schools and colleges.
ncnewsline.com
June 25, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Yet another "divisive concepts" bill making its way towards law, this time in North Carolina. These bills are fundamentally over broad, and threaten the First Amendment rights of everyone.
ncnewsline.com/briefs/north...
ncnewsline.com/briefs/north...
Reposted by Aaron Corpora
Some of this sounds indistinguishable from what I've heard from international students from authoritarian regimes who fear transnational repression. But this is what they fear from American authorities, not just from abroad. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
April 15, 2025 at 2:12 PM
Some of this sounds indistinguishable from what I've heard from international students from authoritarian regimes who fear transnational repression. But this is what they fear from American authorities, not just from abroad. www.washingtonpost.com/education/20...
Reposted by Aaron Corpora
I've been arguing for years that universities need to do a significantly better job of preparing students and scholars for travel to countries presenting serious speech concerns. It should deeply disturb us that this warning is now being given for scholars entering the US. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
April 2, 2025 at 2:10 PM
I've been arguing for years that universities need to do a significantly better job of preparing students and scholars for travel to countries presenting serious speech concerns. It should deeply disturb us that this warning is now being given for scholars entering the US. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
Very pleased to learn that @waynestateclas.bsky.social will allow the faculty and student led biweekly vigils for victims of the Israel-Hamas War to continue again, after inexplicably shutting them down on March 21.
This win for expressive rights should be celebrated by freedom lovers everywhere!
This win for expressive rights should be celebrated by freedom lovers everywhere!
March 31, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Very pleased to learn that @waynestateclas.bsky.social will allow the faculty and student led biweekly vigils for victims of the Israel-Hamas War to continue again, after inexplicably shutting them down on March 21.
This win for expressive rights should be celebrated by freedom lovers everywhere!
This win for expressive rights should be celebrated by freedom lovers everywhere!
Mountaineers don't exchange their expressive rights for a pair of shoulder pads at training camp. I wrote West Virginia University today, outlining why this order violates the First Amendment rights of WVU's football players.
West Virginia head football coach Rich Rodriguez bans TikTok dancing in their program.
Rich Rod bans Mountaineers from TikTok dancing
Telling reporters that he wants his Mountaineers to have "a hard edge," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez has banned his players from dancing on TikTok, saying that this type of social media activity...
www.espn.com
March 17, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Mountaineers don't exchange their expressive rights for a pair of shoulder pads at training camp. I wrote West Virginia University today, outlining why this order violates the First Amendment rights of WVU's football players.
UF's investigation into Dr. Rathore continues apace. So yesterday, my team and I at FIRE sent a letter to UF outlining why this investigation violates Dr. Rathore's expressive rights. You can read our arguments below.
I'm very concerned to learn about the investigation into Dr. Mobeen Rathore, a professor and associate chair in the Department of Pediatrics at University of Florida-Jacksonville, for his social media activity deemed "anti-Semitic".
www.wokv.com/news/local/u...
www.wokv.com/news/local/u...
UF investigating Jacksonville doctor’s Israel-related posts to see if they violate laws, policies
The University of Florida said it is investigating the Israel-related social media posts of Dr. Mobeen Rathore, who is employed at UF Health as the Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and serves th...
www.wokv.com
March 13, 2025 at 7:04 PM
UF's investigation into Dr. Rathore continues apace. So yesterday, my team and I at FIRE sent a letter to UF outlining why this investigation violates Dr. Rathore's expressive rights. You can read our arguments below.
I'm very concerned to learn about the investigation into Dr. Mobeen Rathore, a professor and associate chair in the Department of Pediatrics at University of Florida-Jacksonville, for his social media activity deemed "anti-Semitic".
www.wokv.com/news/local/u...
www.wokv.com/news/local/u...
UF investigating Jacksonville doctor’s Israel-related posts to see if they violate laws, policies
The University of Florida said it is investigating the Israel-related social media posts of Dr. Mobeen Rathore, who is employed at UF Health as the Chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and serves th...
www.wokv.com
March 3, 2025 at 8:30 PM
I'm very concerned to learn about the investigation into Dr. Mobeen Rathore, a professor and associate chair in the Department of Pediatrics at University of Florida-Jacksonville, for his social media activity deemed "anti-Semitic".
www.wokv.com/news/local/u...
www.wokv.com/news/local/u...