Defending Fired Professor Tom Alter

First Amendment. Creator, Brent Payne. Creative Commons

Freedom Socialist newspaper, Vol. 47, No. 1, February-March 2026

socialism.com

By Declan Goldenbogen

Tenured Texas State University history professor Dr. Tom Alter was unfairly fired for speaking at the Revolutionary Socialism Conference, held via Zoom on Sept. 7, 2025. During the roughly 20 minutes he had the floor, he delivered a measured yet passionate speech about revolutionary organizing and uniting the left during this critical juncture. This talk, given on his own time, was his “crime.”

Alter’s speech was recorded secretly by a self-identified fascist, edited deceptively, and posted to social media. Dr. Alter was fired days later by the university’s president Kelly Damphousse. Though Alter was temporarily reinstated by a judge’s ruling, the university held a so-called “due process hearing” in October where they fired him again.

Dr. Alter’s termination violates Texas law governing tenure, and, more importantly, the First Amendment. And if a tenured professor’s job isn’t safe from power-tripping red-scarers, it raises troubling implications for all workers who speak their mind.

Alter has received the support of his union, his students, and democratic rights supporters around the country. Demands to give him his job back remain loud and consistent, and there is hope in the form of a lawsuit that Alter has filed against Texas State University.

As he puts it, “This fight did not start with me and it does not end with me.”

But, let’s unite with two goals this year: Reinstate Tom Alter. Defend free speech.

Details: defendtomalter.org.