Organizing Works: The Reinstatement of Dr. Thomas Alter at Texas State University

Friends,

Good news is always worth celebrating. Texas State University has officially agreed to reinstate Dr. Thomas Alter after a judge issued a temporary restraining order in his favor. Alter, a tenured associate history professor, was dismissed on September 10, 2025, after remarks he made at a socialist conference went viral. The university claimed his words “incited violence,” but Alter’s lawsuit contends that the termination violated his First and Fourteenth Amendment rights and breached contract protections for tenured faculty (Webner, 2025; Whitford, 2025; KSAT, 2025; also see Campus Speech Incident Database, 2025).

His reinstatement is not merely a judicial win—it is a triumph of organizing and public pressure. Students, faculty, unions, and civil liberties groups in Texas and nationally mobilized rapidly. Demonstrations were held outside the Hays County Courthouse, petitions circulated, and national groups like the American Historical Association decried the firing as a violation of academic freedom (AHA, 2025). The collective outcry made it politically and legally hard for the university to maintain its stance.

Alter’s case now moves into its next phase: a full hearing on due process, claims for back pay, and formal vindication of his rights. But the message is already clear: when communities band together, they can push back against institutional attempts to silence dissent. Organizing matters.

-Angela Valenzuela

References

American Historical Association. (2025). Letter objecting to the firing of Professor Thomas Alter without due process (AHA).

Campus Speech Incident Database. (2025). Alter v. Texas State University.

KSAT (2025, Sept. 26). Texas State professor reinstated with pay, will not teach amid lawsuit over political comments

Webner, R. (2025, September 26). Texas State to reinstate fired professor after judge issues temporary restraining order. San Antonio Express-News.

Whitford, E. (2025, September 23). Texas State professor sues, claiming free speech, contract violations, Inside Higher Ed.