Gov. Lee releases statement on letter to Yale Law School

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed a letter to Yale Law School following an incident that took place on the university’s campus in March.

Friday, Governor Lee released a statement regarding the letter that reads:

“I signed a letter to Yale Law School urging administrators to address a student mob that violently disrupted a bipartisan event about free speech and political discourse. The behavior is shameful but it speaks to a growing trend in higher-education where First Amendment freedom is taken for granted and often held in contempt. We are endeavoring to establish the University of Tennessee Institute for American Civics to be the antidote to the cynical, un-American behavior we are seeing at far too many universities. The Institute for American Civics will be a flagship for the nation – a beacon celebrating intellectual diversity at our universities and teaching how a responsible, civic-minded people strengthens our country and our communities. Representatives from Alliance Defending Freedom and the American Humanist Association, who had such a terrible experience at Yale, are invited to join us in Tennessee anytime.”

To read the full letter sent to Yale, click here.

The governor’s office reminds Tennesseans that a bill establishing the Institute of American Civics at the University of Tennessee continues to work through legislature with bipartisan support.

For more Tennessee news, click here.