Academic freedom and faculty free speech on state university campuses are being reframed through legislation and regulation in many states by defining what, when, and how research, theory, and content can and cannot be discussed or taught. In the opinion of conservative media pundits and politicians, this is long overdue; they argue states are trying to viewpoint balance by reasserting control over public university curriculum and open forums, thereby ensuring that “intellectual diversity” is nurtured. Those who oppose the states’ interference counter that these laws instead pervert academic freedom and stymy free speech. They assert that proponents of this kind of legislation and the governors who sign them into law are attempting to impose their political and cultural ideology onto higher education. The purpose of this paper/presentation is to focus on the nationwide debate on the merits of academic freedom and faculty free speech, the U.S. Supreme Court decisions on academic freedom and free speech in higher education, and the political and statutory efforts of politicians and governing bodies to control what is taught and said across the twelve Florida State University System institutions, as well as the judicial response.