This publication is no stranger to criticism of the leaders of this state and our great nation. In my inaugural op-ed, I wrote about the great strides President Trump has made in his first month in office. In this piece, my goal is to make the case that Governor Jeff Landry is the right person for the job and the criticism by some on our campus is misguided.
Let us start back in 2021. Then, Attorney General Jeff Landry stood up for the people of Louisiana, specifically the LSU students. When LSU threatened to impose a mandate of an untested, unauthorized, and unpredictable vaccine on 40,000 young adults, Jeff Landry said no. He sent a letter to LSU and advised them that the students of Louisiana have rights and that he would not let the school violate them. He even went as far as threatening to file suit against universities that impose unconstitutional vaccine mandates on their students and employees.
Attorney General Landry’s next notable interaction or lack thereof was when he chose not to participate in a candidate forum for the 2023 Governor’s race at LSU. He was not able to make it to the forum, and the LSU Student Government lambasted him for it. The Student Senate, then run by and still held hostage by far-left activists, condemned Landry for campaigning for Governor. Something, believe it or not, candidates for public office do.
Well, Jeff Landry won with a mandate. He was the first non-incumbent to win outright in the primary since 2007. Let me set the record straight. The week after his historic victory, he came to LSU upon the invitation of Turning Point USA @ LSU and celebrated LSU’s storied homecoming and tailgated with students and supporters. Governor-Elect Landry has been an ardent supporter of our student body since day one.
Governor Landry hit the ground running. The Governor and the Legislature took extraordinary steps in the Second Extraordinary Legislative Session of 2024. In that session, Senator Blake Miguez and the Governor led the effort to restore the Second Amendment Rights of all Louisianians by passing and signing into law SB 1. SB 1 established constitutional carry in Louisiana. After restoring the rights of Louisianians, The Governor and the Legislature took aim at crime in Louisiana. They made the bold move to almost entirely eliminate parole in Louisiana, keeping dangerous criminals out of our communities and in jail where they belong.
Since the Legislature adjourned Sine Die in June, the Governor has had time to focus on issues with our education at LSU. In October 2024, I had the honor of hosting the Governor at Memorial Tower for the signing of an Executive Order to protect free speech on college campuses around Louisiana. Additionally, the Governor has voiced his support to hold LSU Law professor Ken Levy accountable for his betrayal of the public’s, the university’s, and the law center’s trust when he made unacceptable, vulgar statements in class.
Ken Levy has a pattern of this behavior. I was in his class last semester. He was just as vulgar if not worse then. On multiple occasions, Professor Levy used the terms “Republican M*****F******” and “Right Wing A******” in class. Professor Levy then reiterated his views by saying go ahead and complain; I get negative course evaluations every semester, I just put them in a drawer.
When Professor Levy was caught on recording saying the things he said, I was not surprised in the slightest. Let me make this abundantly clear. Ken Levy’s vulgar behavior is not part of academic freedom. Using your platform as a state employee to say “F*** the Governor,” “F*** Donald Trump,” and say he would love to become a national celebrity from what he says in class is unbecoming of any state employee. I would hold the same position if the roles were reversed and a professor made the same vulgar comments about leaders of the Democratic Party.
LSU’s action to remove Levy from the classroom and hopefully review his employment at the Law Center is wholly justified. No one should be using the funds of taxpayers and their trust to spew their political opinions and grievances with society. My suggestion is simple. For the few hours a week professors are in the classroom, try teaching the course material, not your political opinions. To misconstrue the Governor’s criticism of Professor Levy as an attack on freedom or retribution is a disingenuous argument in support of someone who has betrayed the public’s, the university’s, and the law center’s trust.
Jeff Landry has been standing up for Louisianians his entire career. I hope this article has shed some light on the positive work he has done and the direct actions he has taken to help the students and faculty of LSU.
Ethan Vogin is a first-year law student at LSU from Baton Rouge, La.
