Judge makes official ruling on Dakota professor who called Charlie Kirk a 'nazi'
One university professor came under fire after calling the recently killed far-right commentator Charlie Kirk a 'nazi' on social media, and a judge has made a significant ruling regarding the future of his employment.
There has been a whirlwind of backlash surrounding Charlie Kirk's murder earlier this month, as countless individuals on the political right who previously were outraged at cancel culture have called for action to be taken against anyone saying anything negative about the Turning Point USA co-founder.
This sentiment has stretched all the way to the top of the Trump administration too, as key figures including Vice President JD Vance and Attorney General Pam Bondi have issued significant warnings towards anyone 'celebrating' Kirk's death and engaging in what they deem to be 'hate speech'.
Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel's short-lived 'indefinite' suspension is the most high profile case of this, as the comedian's TV show was put on hold over comments he made surrounding the Republican reaction to the shooting.
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US President Donald Trump was seemingly left in a fit of rage when he learned of Kimmel's return to TV screens, and that same level of anger was levied at one University of South Dakota professor who had some choice words to say about Kirk on his social media channels.
As reported by the Independent, Phillip Michael Hook is currently a tenured Professor of Art at the aforementioned university, and he declared in a Facebook post following the shooting that he did not "give a flying f***" about Kirk, adding that he was a "hate spreading Nazi."
Hook continued to explain that he "wasn't paying close enough attention to the idiotic right fringe to even know who he was," adding that while he was "sorry for his family," he had "no thoughts or prayers for this hate spreading Nazi. A shrug, maybe."
This was met with significant outrage from many across social media who called for Hook's dismissal despite a later apology where the professor admitted he regretted his actions.
Yesterday, I was made aware of these hateful and vile comments made by a University of South Dakota professor regarding the death of Charlie Kirk and Charlie’s family. I am disgusted by his remarks, and think they are unbecoming of someone who works for and represents our… pic.twitter.com/FIVa1OlGrM
— Speaker Jon Hansen (@SpeakerHansen) September 12, 2025
Both South Dakota Speaker of the House Jon Hansen and Republican Governor Larry Rhoden have also called for Hook to be fired, and shortly after his posts the professor was placed on administrative leave by the South Dakota Board of Regents with the intent to remove him from his position.
However, Professor Hook disputed this by filing an injunction against the University of South Dakota, alleging that "core political speech in violation of the First Amendment" had been broken amid his dismissal.
Senior Judge Karen E. Schreier of South Dakota's District Court made a major decision that landed in Hook's favor on Wednesday, issuing a temporary restraining order and declared that his position at the university should be reinstated and remain in place until the preliminary injunction hearing early next month.
She ordered that the professor had spoken "as a citizen" and "on a matter of public concern," with Hook's legal representative adding that his position as an employee of a public university "doesn't forfeit the right to free speech."