Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
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Meriwether v. Hartop
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
992 F.3d 492 (2021)
The first amendment guarantees both the freedom to speak and the freedom to refuse to convey a message the speaker disagrees with. In Meriwether versus Hartop, the sixth circuit considered whether the first amendment allowed a public university professor to defy the university's policy regarding student pronouns.
Nicholas Meriwether was a professor at Shawnee State University, a small public college. Shawnee required professors to refer to students by their preferred pronouns, defined as pronouns reflecting the students self asserted gender identity.
Shawnee instituted this requirement in support of its policy prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity.
Jane Doe, a transgender student, asked Meriwether to refer to her with feminine pronouns.
Meriwether refused because referring to Doe as female would violate his religious beliefs.
Shawnee issued Meriwether a written warning for failing to follow its pronoun policy.
Meriwether then sued Shawnee and its board of trustees in federal district court. Meriwether alleged that Shawnee had violated his first amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of his religion, among other claims.
The district court dismissed Meriwether's complaint. Meriwether appealed to the sixth circuit.
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Get more case briefs explained with Quimbee. Quimbee has over 42,700 case briefs (and counting) keyed to 988 casebooks ► quimbee.com/case-briefs-overview
Meriwether v. Hartop
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
992 F.3d 492 (2021)
The first amendment guarantees both the freedom to speak and the freedom to refuse to convey a message the speaker disagrees with. In Meriwether versus Hartop, the sixth circuit considered whether the first amendment allowed a public university professor to defy the university's policy regarding student pronouns.
Nicholas Meriwether was a professor at Shawnee State University, a small public college. Shawnee required professors to refer to students by their preferred pronouns, defined as pronouns reflecting the students self asserted gender identity.
Shawnee instituted this requirement in support of its policy prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity.
Jane Doe, a transgender student, asked Meriwether to refer to her with feminine pronouns.
Meriwether refused because referring to Doe as female would violate his religious beliefs.
Shawnee issued Meriwether a written warning for failing to follow its pronoun policy.
Meriwether then sued Shawnee and its board of trustees in federal district court. Meriwether alleged that Shawnee had violated his first amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of his religion, among other claims.
The district court dismissed Meriwether's complaint. Meriwether appealed to the sixth circuit.
Want more details on this case? Get the rule of law, issues, holding and reasonings, and more case facts here: quimbee.com/cases/meriwether-v-hartop
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