E191 - Teachers Fired for Social Media Posts, Now Taxpayers Have to Pay Settlements | The States
Published: July 7, 2026
Duration: 44:43
Free speech settlements, population shifts, unemployment trends, and AI safety legislation.
The Center Square's Kim Jarrett joins to discuss the University of Tennessee's board voting in June to pay $1.9 million to settle with a professor fired last September over a personal social media post about Charlie Kirk's death; the board cited cost savings and didn't address the free speech questions raised. A former Oglethorpe County, Georgia teacher reportedly received $300,000 and an Austin Peay University professor got $500,000 while keeping his job, both over Kirk-related posts. A Perry County, Tennessee man spent a month in jail over a Facebook m...