There’s been a new development in the ongoing debate about whether colleges should be allowed to have study abroad programs in Cuba. On November 10th a federal appeals court upheld a decision that has limited academic travel to Cuba.

Currently, a Bush administration federal rule only allows academic travel to Cuba if the trip lasts over ten weeks, and states that colleges can only send their own students and faculty. The Emergency Coalition to Defend Educational Travel brought a suit against the government arguing that the restrictions violated academic freedom. The Court rejected these claims saying that the bans did not limit what colleges could teach, but only where.

To learn more about this issue visit The First Amendment Center.