"First Amendment Lawsuit Challenges Texas' TikTok Ban, Citing Threat to Academic Freedom"

The ban on TikTok in Texas has been challenged in a lawsuit filed by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, arguing that it violates the Constitution by limiting research and teaching at public universities. The lawsuit highlights the impact of TikTok bans on academic work and the mounting legal pushback against such bans. The institute is urging Texas and other states to exempt university faculty from the bans, emphasizing the importance of studying the platform's impact on public discourse and society. The lawsuit also mentions the negative consequences faced by a professor at the University of North Texas, who had to suspend research projects and alter teaching methods due to the ban. Similar concerns have been raised in lawsuits in Montana.