In what has to be one of the most ridiculous reasons to get a job offer rescinded, the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville reneged on Emily Suski position as the school’s next dean because she signed off on an amicus brief supporting a student’s rights. After finding out that she signed on to the brief, Arkansas senator Bart Hester Karen-ed and suggested to cut the school’s funding until the school decided that they were better off continuing their year job candidate hunt rather than let Suski do the job. Law students quickly came out in support of Suski and protested the school’s cave-in to Hester and friends. S
tudents aren’t the only ones showing support — law professors are also in Suski’s corner. Law.com has coverage:
More than 175 law professors from across the country signed a letter sent to the Arkansas General Assembly and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders expressing “profound concern” over the revocation of Emily Suski’s offer to become dean of the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) School of Law.
“As her friends and colleagues, we are of course disappointed by this outcome, for her sake,” the signatories wrote in the Feb. 1 letter, which was obtained by Law.com. But more importantly, as lawyers and law professors, we are deeply disturbed by the process that yielded this result, and its consequences for academic freedom and the full participation of academics in the legal process.”
The threat to academic freedom is a serious one. There are manifold things a professor or dean could say that go against state doxa or otherwise conform with the law that shouldn’t be punishable events such as: adults having sex with 15 year olds is prima facie statutory rape no matter how much Megyn Kelly tries to minimize it, that immigrants aren’t the population you should focus on if you really want to cut down on crime, or simply throwing a curse word at the president. If the attack on academic freedom continues, it is only a matter of time before a professor gets in trouble for saying ICE should be abolished, even though you can find people making that argument for years. Or maybe a professor will be fired or worse after the government makes good on their promise that you can’t call them gestapo or call what’s going on fascism (even though one leading fascism scholar left ages ago because he saw the writing on the wall).
If law professors, protected by the expectation that what they say actually has research behind it (and occasionally tenure) aren’t able to show support and speak freely, it will chill the speech of students who have even less protection.
Over 175 Law Professors Sign Letter to Protest Arkansas Law Deanship Revocation [Law.com]
Earlier: Law Students Protest Culture War Dean Firing
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
The post Fired Arkansas Law Dean Gets Wave Of Support From Law Professors appeared first on Above the Law.
In what has to be one of the most ridiculous reasons to get a job offer rescinded, the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville reneged on Emily Suski position as the school’s next dean because she signed off on an amicus brief supporting a student’s rights. After finding out that she signed on to the brief, Arkansas senator Bart Hester Karen-ed and suggested to cut the school’s funding until the school decided that they were better off continuing their year job candidate hunt rather than let Suski do the job. Law students quickly came out in support of Suski and protested the school’s cave-in to Hester and friends. S
tudents aren’t the only ones showing support — law professors are also in Suski’s corner. Law.com has coverage:
More than 175 law professors from across the country signed a letter sent to the Arkansas General Assembly and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders expressing “profound concern” over the revocation of Emily Suski’s offer to become dean of the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville) School of Law.
“As her friends and colleagues, we are of course disappointed by this outcome, for her sake,” the signatories wrote in the Feb. 1 letter, which was obtained by Law.com. But more importantly, as lawyers and law professors, we are deeply disturbed by the process that yielded this result, and its consequences for academic freedom and the full participation of academics in the legal process.”
The threat to academic freedom is a serious one. There are manifold things a professor or dean could say that go against state doxa or otherwise conform with the law that shouldn’t be punishable events such as: adults having sex with 15 year olds is prima facie statutory rape no matter how much Megyn Kelly tries to minimize it, that immigrants aren’t the population you should focus on if you really want to cut down on crime, or simply throwing a curse word at the president. If the attack on academic freedom continues, it is only a matter of time before a professor gets in trouble for saying ICE should be abolished, even though you can find people making that argument for years. Or maybe a professor will be fired or worse after the government makes good on their promise that you can’t call them gestapo or call what’s going on fascism (even though one leading fascism scholar left ages ago because he saw the writing on the wall).
If law professors, protected by the expectation that what they say actually has research behind it (and occasionally tenure) aren’t able to show support and speak freely, it will chill the speech of students who have even less protection.
Over 175 Law Professors Sign Letter to Protest Arkansas Law Deanship Revocation [Law.com]
Earlier: Law Students Protest Culture War Dean Firing
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
The post Fired Arkansas Law Dean Gets Wave Of Support From Law Professors appeared first on Above the Law.
