Ex-Texas State professor claims firing violated contract, was 'politically motivated' in lawsuit

SAN MARCOS, Texas - A Texas State University professor who was fired earlier this month for comments made during a conference has filed a lawsuit against the school claiming it violated his contract with the firing.

Dr. Thomas Alter was fired on Sept. 10 after a video surfaced of him speaking at a socialism conference.

Court documents claim Alter’s firing was "politically-motivated discrimination" and that the school failed to use proper due process or adhere to the university’s own policies.

What they're saying:

"When Dr. Thomas Alter, a tenured professor of history, participated in civic and political discourse solely in his individual capacity, Texas State University terminated his employment," court documents state. "It did so without an ounce of due process, and even while recognizing that ‘freedom of speech and principles of academic freedom are central to the mission of institutions of higher education.’"

The lawsuit also claims that the university breached Alter’s contract with the firing.

Texas State’s policies state that "When the faculty member speaks or writes as a citizen, the faculty member should be free from Component censorship or discipline…the faculty member should remember that the public may judge his or her profession and Component by his or her utterance."

Alter fired after speaking at socialism conference

Alter was fired after video surfaced of him speaking at the Revolutionary Socialism Conference.

Alter’s lawsuit claims that the video was recorded in violation of the conference’s policies by an "influencer" who posted the recording on YouTube.

After the video surfaced, university president Kelly Damphousse announced that Alter was fired.

"Advocating for violence is contrary to TXST values," Damphousse said. "I cannot tolerate such behavior. Effective immediately, his employment is terminated."

The lawsuit claims the firing violated the Texas Education Code which states that tenured faculty can only be fired with appropriate due process.

The suit names Damphousse and Texas State Chancellor Pranesh Aswath as defendants.

Alter is asking for lost wages and to be reinstated without further retaliation to the university.

Dig deeper:

Alter has been a member of the Texas State faculty since 2017 and was granted tenure as an associate professor of history in 2025.

Alter’s now deleted faculty page called Alter a historian who "specializes in transnational approaches to race, labor, capitalism, and protest movements."