An LSU law school professor has been removed from teaching classes for reportedly making political comments in the classroom, his attorney says.

LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center Dean Alena Allen told students in an online meeting Tuesday that tenured law professor Ken Levy is being replaced pending an investigation.

Baton Rouge attorney Jill Craft, who is representing Levy, said he intends to fight the reprimand.

“We cannot live and exist in a country where people are punished because of their opinions, their thoughts and their words,” Craft said. “This is particularly true in the area of academic freedom. If we take that away, it takes away the cornerstone of this democracy. And then we don’t have one anymore.”

LSU spokesman Todd Woodward confirmed Levy is not currently teaching but declined to comment further on university personnel issues.

Allen has not yet responded to a request for comment.

One of Levy’s students, Kristen Graham-Winkles, was in the meeting where Allen told students about the professor’s removal. She said the dean referred to an “ongoing investigation” of Levy, whose main areas of expertise are criminal and constitutional law,

Levy has not shied away from sharing his thoughts on politics and has openly criticized Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, Graham-Winkles said, adding that the professor is very well-liked and that students were upset to learn he is being punished.

“He just kind of fosters communicating … even the people who I know voted for Trump, a lot of them were like, ‘No, no, no. We love this guy.’ So we want to know who reported it and what they said because it’s probably not true.”

The investigation into Levy comes less than three months after Landry openly called for LSU Law professor Nick Bryner to be punished for criticizing President Donald Trump in the classroom the day after he was re-elected. Bryner is still employed by the university.

This is a developing story