In the wake of the murder of right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk, the Texas Legislature created two committees, one in the Senate and one in the House, to look into how free speech is handled at colleges and universities across the state.
Led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, the new committees are designed “to study and issue reports on bias, discourse, and freedom of speech across Texas college campuses,” according to a news release from Patrick’s office.
Both lawmakers offered high praise for Kirk and appear poised to use the new committees as a way to protect conservative speech on college campuses while targeting opposition voices.
UTEP campus.
“The First Amendment guarantees the freedom of religion, of speech, of the press, of assembly, and of petition,” Patrick said in the release. “It is the First Amendment because it is the foundation of all our rights. In that list, the free exercise of religion is paramount. Take away a person’s right to free exercise of religion and every other right falls quickly.”
“Charlie Kirk was my friend,” he continued. “He was assassinated for simply expressing his First Amendment rights. The attack on Charlie was an attack on the First Amendment. Those who cheered his murder are also cheering for the death of America. We cannot tolerate either at our institutions of higher learning.”
Burrows shared a similar sentiment.
“The political assassination of Charlie Kirk — and the national reaction it has sparked, including the public celebration of his murder by some in higher education — is appalling and reveals a deeper, systemic problem worth examining,” he said in the release. “This disturbing reality underscores the urgency of creating these committees.”
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“Charlie dedicated his life to open, respectful dialogue with those he disagreed, and that approach is something we should all celebrate and fight to protect,” Burrows continued. “This committee will help identify ways to better protect the fundamental right of free speech on our campuses, including measures to ensure political gatherings are safe and secure, and its recommendations will guide the Legislature’s policy decisions moving forward.”
Who was Charlie Kirk?
Kirk, 31, was the founder of Turning Point USA, also known as TPUSA, a conservative organization that targeted college educators and rallied students at campus debates. He also hosted a popular podcast, The Charlie Kirk Show, which contained the second-highest rate of false or misleading information among podcasts, according to a 2023 study by the Brookings Institution.
While many on the right continue to wax poetic about Kirk’s contributions to civil discourse, the conservative firebrand was well known for his controversial viewpoints.
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During a Turning Point USA event in 2023, Kirk said, “We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.” On his podcast, he claimed that Black women “do not have the brain processing power” to be taken seriously and would have to “steal a white person’s slot to be taken somewhat seriously.”
While discussing gun law reforms at another Turning Point USA event in 2023, he said, “We must also be real. We must be honest with the population. Having an armed citizenry comes with a price, and that is part of liberty … We need to be very clear that you’re not going to get gun deaths to zero. It will not happen. But I think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year, so that we can have the Second Amendment.”
Sen. Cesar Blanco named to Senate committee
Among the seven state senators named to the committee was state Sen. Cesar Blanco, one of only two Democrats on the panel.
“Texas’ colleges and universities are home to the next generation of leaders,” Blanco, D-El Paso, said in a news release. “Higher education institutions should be places where every Texan, regardless of background or political beliefs, feels safe to engage in political discourse. They must uphold all forms of protected speech guaranteed by the Constitution, even when ideas are controversial or uncomfortable.”
State Sen. Cesar Blanco, D-El Paso, works at his desk in his office in Downtown El Paso on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. Blanco officially announced his Texas Senate reelection campaign in late September.
Blanco’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the possibility that the new committees might be used to quash dissent, but stated in the release that he hopes to “foster environments of mutual respect.”
“We must guarantee that campuses can share ideas without fear so that our state’s higher education system remains a place of opportunity, critical thinking, and civic engagement for every Texan,” he said.
Adam Powell covers government and politics for the El Paso Times and can be reached via email at apowell@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Texas forms panels on campus free speech after Charlie Kirk murder
