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VOLUME 120 - ISSUE 11

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2025

Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

Former UF law student’s expulsion for antisemitic posts ignite First Amendment battle THE UNIVERSITY DEFENDED THE STUDENT’S EXPULSION

By Swasthi Maharaj Alligator Staff Writer

He won an award for what people said is hate speech. He said it was free speech. Preston Damsky, a former UF law student, came under scrutiny earlier this year for social media posts and an award-winning seminar that’s been described as antisemitic with rhetoric that champions white supremacy. Now, he’s caught in a legal battle over his expulsion from the university. In an ongoing lawsuit, UF argues Damsky’s online comments are hate speech and therefore not protected under his First Amendment rights. Damsky, meanwhile, said his posts didn’t constitute a threat. Chris Summerlin, UF Dean of Students, told Damsky Aug. 4 he’d be expelled from the university, according to the lawsuit — a decision Damsky appealed one month later. UF responded Oct. 10 by arguing the expulsion did not violate his rights. Damsky did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication after The Alligator contacted him via his school email and on X. The controversy began in 2024, when Damsky submitted a seminar paper that argued the phrase “We the People” in the Constitution referred only to white Americans. Despite online pushback from students, Damsky’s professor, Federal Judge John L. Badalamenti, presented him a book award. The book award is given to students with the highest overall grade in a UF law school class. Earlier this year, Damsky posted

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT

Football Story description finish with comma, Who pg# could replace Billy Napier?. Read more on pg. 11.

dozens of messages on X describing Jewish people as “parasitizing the West” and saying they should be “abolished by any means necessary.” In one of his posts, Damsky referred to himself as an “antiSemite.” A UF law professor replied to one of his posts on March 21, in which Damsky called for the elimination of all Jewish individuals, The Alligator reported. The professor asked if Damsky would murder her and her family. “Surely a genocide of all whites should be an even greater outrage than a genocide of all Jews, given the far greater number of whites,” Damsky wrote in response. UF issued a trespass warning April 3 banning Damsky from campus for three years. The warning cited the escalating rhetoric and threatening nature of his words. Citing student privacy laws, the university declined to comment on Damsky’s records or disciplinary processes. By June 2025, Damsky filed a lawsuit, claiming his First Amendment rights had been violated by his expulsion. Damsky confirmed in an NBC News phone interview he has Jewish ancestry. His great-grandparents were labeled “Hebrew” by border control agents when they immigrated to the U.S., and his grandparents are buried in a Jewish cemetery in Hollywood Hills. However, he said his opinions are not affected by his heritage. He was not raised Jewish and has never visited a synagogue. Jane Bambauer, a UF professor of law and First Amendment expert, said his speech was allowed, as long as Damsky didn’t incite violence or make threats.

SEE LAW STUDENT, PAGE 4

Daniela Peñafiel // Alligator Staff

Former UF law student Preston Damsky claims his trespass order and expulsion violated his First Amendment rights. UF says the action protected campus safety.

The long road to legalize skateboarding in Gainesville THE CITY COMMISSION IS WORKING ON AN ORDINANCE THAT WOULD ALLOW THE PRACTICE IN PUBLIC PARKS

By Teia Williams Alligator Staff Writer

"Skateboarding Is Not a Crime." Since 1988, the slogan has become a nationwide rallying cry against anti-skateboarding laws. In Gainesville, the call could soon spark change. The Gainesville City Commission decided on Sept. 11 to start the process of legalizing skating in

Santa Fe College

public parks. Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward said city staff will present a draft of the ordinance to the City Commission this fall for further conversation. Skating in Gainesville public parks has been illegal since 1981, a rule Commissioner Bryan Eastman called “outdated.” Currently, skating is only allowed on roads, sidewalks and in designated skate parks. During the Sept. 11 commission meeting, Eastman explained skateboarding is a type of transportation and should be allowed in public parks without penalty. “Skateboarding isn’t tennis.

It isn’t swimming. It’s basic transportation,” Eastman said prior to the meeting in an Instagram video. He presented a plan to draft an ordinance repealing the 1981 law in the city code, allowing skateboarding, rollerblading and roller skating in Gainesville public parks. Gainesville has a rich history of skateboarding. The “godfather” of street skating, Rodney Mullen, was born and raised in Gainesville, where he invented the kickflip and the flat-ground ollie. Today’s skateboarding foundations were

SEE SKATEBOARD, PAGE 4

Zoo expansion in the works, pg. 5

Weather

Cedar Key hoping for slow hurricane season, pg. 5

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