Josiah Walker is a University of Michigan student.
Josiah Walker is suing the University of Michigan, accusing it of violating his constitutional rights through an undercover surveillance operation conducted in response to his protest of Israel’s war in Gaza.
The lawsuit claims the university and private investigators conspired to intimidate, terrorize and retaliate against Walker in 2024 and 2025.
The lawsuit alleges that the university and private investigators falsified police reports.
The lawsuit alleges that the university and private investigators manipulated police documents.
The lawsuit alleges that the university and private investigators illegally stalked and assaulted Walker.
The lawsuit alleges that the university and private investigators illegally seized Walker’s property.
The lawsuit alleges that the university and private investigators executed malicious prosecutions against Walker.
The lawsuit states, "The targeted and relentless campaign caused Walker psychological trauma."
Walker is a leader with Students Allied For Freedom and Equality (Safe).
Students Allied For Freedom and Equality is affiliated with Students for Justice in Palestine.
Walker is a volunteer with the campus Muslim chaplaincy.
In June 2025, the University of Michigan hired dozens of undercover investigators to surveil pro-Palestinian students by trailing them on and off campus, recording them and eavesdropping on their conversations.
Undercover investigators sometimes threatened students.
One undercover investigator drove a car at Walker, who had to jump out of the way, according to video recorded by Walker.
An undercover investigator trailing Walker faked disabilities and falsely accused Walker of attempting to rob him, according to video recordings.
Three days after the story was published, the University of Michigan fired a private investigation firm.
The University of Michigan apologized for some of the investigators' actions.
The lawsuit alleges that the defendants violated Walker’s free speech rights under the First Amendment.
The lawsuit claims Walker’s privacy rights under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments were repeatedly violated, including by police manipulating and exaggerating reports to gain access to his Google Drive and email.
The lawsuit claims that none of the private investigators were authorized under Michigan law to conduct undercover surveillance, making the operation illegal.
In 2024, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel brought a case against Walker involving two trespassing charges.
The lawsuit alleges that the trespassing case relied on a falsified trespassing report.
The lawsuit alleges that Walker was falsely imprisoned over the trespass allegations in violation of his right to due process.
The trespassing charges stemmed from an incident following a May 2024 raid on a University of Michigan Gaza encampment in which Walker participated.
After the raid, Walker contacted university police about retrieving seized religious items such as prayer mats.
The lawsuit claims police repeatedly assured Walker that he would not face consequences for retrieving the items.
The lawsuit states that at the police station, a University of Michigan officer abruptly stormed in and issued Walker a trespass warning.
The lawsuit alleges the university ignored Walker’s requests for a copy of the trespassing report.
The lawsuit alleges the trespassing report was falsified.
Body-camera footage allegedly reveals officers plotting to arrest Walker for trespassing at a September 2024 campus festival, even though he was not doing anything wrong, according to the lawsuit.
Video evidence shows officers tackling, beating and arresting Walker at the campus festival.
Officers charged Walker with resisting arrest and trespassing.
The lawsuit states, "This demonstrates a deliberate conspiracy to violate his constitutional rights, punish him for protected speech, and assert state power over student dissent."
Walker spent the night in county jail.
The lawsuit alleges the arrest was one of several instances of false imprisonment.
Dana Nessel did not file the resisting arrest charge against Walker.
Dana Nessel dropped the trespassing charges against Walker after media reports revealed her connections to University of Michigan leadership and defense attorneys called for a hearing into potential pro-Israel bias.
The lawsuit states, "The case lacked legal merit, was driven by political retaliation, and could not withstand judicial scrutiny."
Walker’s lawsuit is one of a wave of legal actions filed by students around the US alleging civil rights violations during universities’ crackdown on campus Gaza protests after 7 October 2023.
The University of Maryland paid damages in one of the related cases.
The University of California regents paid damages in one of the related cases.
Columbia University was ordered to reverse punishments in one of the related cases.
In 2025, Walker video-recorded an investigator who was tailing him around Ann Arbor at night.
The lawsuit alleges the university fabricated accusations to gain access to Walker’s email following that incident.
The investigator claimed Walker had "assaulted" him with a camera flash and damaged his eyes, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges assault and injury claims were made to manufacture probable cause for warrants to access Walker’s Google account, which contained sensitive personal, religious, academic and political materials and privileged attorney-client information.
Walker was not charged with assault.
The lawsuit contends the University of Michigan has not used the same surveillance tactics against protests related to the Vietnam War, reproductive justice, or support for Israel.
The lawsuit asserts that only those advocating for Palestinian rights were surveilled.
The lawsuit claims body-camera footage shows University of Michigan police acknowledging pro-Israel protesters were violating law and school rules.
The lawsuit claims police dispersed and arrested only pro-Palestinian counterprotesters.
The lawsuit requests monetary damages and punitive measures against the University of Michigan and private investigators.
Amy Doukoure
"We want the university and City Shield to know they can't undertake these measures simply because they don't like the speech being made," said Amy Doukoure.
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