TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on May 7, 2024

The University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UT) and pro-Palestine demonstrators are on either side of a First Amendment debate. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that UT administrators have reminded demonstrators about a Tennessee law banning late-night camping on state property, a measure enacted by the legislature in the wake of the George Floyd protests to limit the scope of long-term demonstrations. Demonstrators have called their gatherings “spontaneous study sessions," in part a strategy to overcome restrictions on their activities. "We believe we have the right to free speech, the right to address grievances peacefully," Palestinian student demonstrator Hasan Atatrah recently said. "And we believe that right exists even at nighttime."