Can a college student demand that a professor address them using “preferred personal pronouns”? Do the professor’s First Amendment-protected liberties buckle under precedent like Garcetti v. Ceballos, 547 U.S. 410 (2006)? Meriwether v. Shawnee State University recently presented—and resolved—that question.

A unanimous panel for the 6th Circuit provided clarity, distinguishing Garcetti’s applicability in a ruling that affirms Professor Meriwether’s religious exercise and expressive freedoms.