A U.S. District Judge took a motion to determine whether University of Kentucky tenured professor Ramsi Woodcock can return to the classroom under advisory.
During the Friday, Dec. 19 hearing, Judge Danny Reeves heard arguments from Woodcock’s counsel, as well as UK’s. The arguments regarded a preliminary injunction that would reinstate Woodcock to classroom responsibilities.
A preliminary injunction is a court order that may be granted during a trial to stop a party from taking a specific action, to try to preserve the situation as it was before the dispute, until a final decision is made, according to Cornell Law.
Allegations brought up by attorneys, as well as mentioned in the notices of investigation, included “spamming” Association of American Law Schools listservs, using university resources to circulate “Petition for Military Action Against Israel” and shouting “free Palestine” while in a car with UK law students.
In a campus-wide email, UK President Eli Capilouto said an unnamed employee, later revealed to be Woodcock, had circulated a petition “which can be interpreted as antisemitic in accordance with state and federal guidance.”
Woodcock has denied antisemitism allegations, saying it’s “possible to be critical of Israel and not be a critic of Judaism and Jewish people,” according to previous coverage by the Kentucky Kernel.
The amended notice of investigation also said that UK had “received reports by four students, some of whom are Jewish.”
Woodcock, a professor at UK’s J. David Rosenberg College of Law, filed a lawsuit against the university on Nov. 13, alleging his First Amendment rights and UK regulations were violated, according to previous coverage by the Kernel.
The university launched an investigation into Woodcock in July to determine whether his behavior and expression violated Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, and if his conduct created a hostile campus environment, according to the email sent by Capilouto.
Title VI “prohibits discrimination against or otherwise excluding individuals on the basis of race, color, or national origin,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Judge Reeves heard from three witnesses throughout the hearing, including Woodcock, interim dean of UK’s J. David Rosenberg College of Law James Duff and the executive director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Coordinator Sarah Mudd.
Judge Reeves said he was concerned about whether Woodcock prolonged the investigation by not cooperating with the investigator and not turning in his university laptop for weeks.
In his testimony, Woodcock addressed these claims and said he didn’t immediately turn in the laptop to the university because he realized he had recordings taken while his mother was sick, and wanted those files to remain private.
After UK told him these files would remain private, Woodcock said he returned the laptop.
The concerns about cooperating with investigator Farnaz F. Thompson included not responding to questions Thompson sent to Woodcock and his attorneys.
Woodcock’s counsel has questioned Thompson’s role as an unbiased investigator.
According to reporting by the Kentucky Lantern, Woodcock’s counsel previously raised concerns about Thompson’s contributions to Project 2025, which the Lantern said was a guiding document for the Trump Administration, and calls for supporting Israel.
The hearing is ongoing, and the minutes and transcript are currently unavailable.