Uh, yeah, actually it <i>does</i>. Not all consequences, but some very specific and very important ones. That&#x27;s the entire legal definition of &quot;freedom of speech&quot;- that actions actions cannot be taken against you to restrict your freedom to say what you want, nor to punish you after the fact.<p>When such restrictions or punishments are in place, you are <i>not</i>, in fact, free to speak.<p>Now private universities, for example, not being governmental institutions, are not required by the constitution to guarantee free speech rights within their domain. But there are good reasons why that right was encoded in the constitution to limit the power of our national government, and they apply just as well to the governing bodies of universities and other private institutions.