This case before the Court centers on whether pronouns constitute protected speech and if a university's placement of a professor on paid administrative leave for misgendering students constitutes First Amendment retaliation. The case is presented through a summary judgment motion, primarily addressing free speech and retaliation, with no mention of free exercise claims from the plaintiff. The backdrop unfolds at the Dottie West Conservatory within Music City University in Tennessee, where Professor Justina Cedarlake's unconventional teaching style sparked controversy. Professor Cedarlake, a member of the Church of the Holy Tune, refused to use students' chosen pronouns. When Memphis Miles, Scarlett Davis, and Hank Turner, who identified as nonbinary and transgender, respectively, reported this, Dean Kenny Chesnut placed Cedarlake on leave, leading to the plaintiff's lawsuit against the university board and Dean Chesnut.