Law professor Felicia Branch was fired by the University of Arkansas Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law over comments she made on Facebook concerning the death of far-right activist Charlie Kirk. Branch called particular attention to the methods of Kirk, such as doxxing queer Black activist Preston Mitchum, and that she would “not pull back from CELEBRATING that an evil man died by the method he chose to embrace.”
As reported by the Arkansas Times, “A parade of white Republicans in Arkansas, including the governor and the attorney general, quickly came for Branch’s job.” And they were ultimately successful in their efforts to remove a Black woman law professor from her position.
In September, Branch was suspended with pay while the school conducted an investigation. But that investigation appears to have been disingenuous at best. On September 24th, Bowen School of Law Dean Colin Crawford fired Branch, writing, “free expression must be balanced against standards of appropriate professional behavior.” Then, earlier this month, an appeals panel made up of UA Little Rock faculty rejected that outcome, recommending Branch receive a warning. But UA Little Rock Chancellor Christina Drale rejected the appeals panel’s recommendation. Instead, Drale upheld Branch’s termination, writing that Branch’s posts were disruptive to “the operation and effectiveness of the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, the Bowen School of Law, and UA Little Rock.”
The irony is palpable that Branch is getting fired for her own controversial statements when Kirk made a career of making controversial statements.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.
The post Law Professor Fired For Comments On Charlie Kirk’s Death Over Objections Of Appeals Panel appeared first on Above the Law.
Law professor Felicia Branch was fired by the University of Arkansas Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law over comments she made on Facebook concerning the death of far-right activist Charlie Kirk. Branch called particular attention to the methods of Kirk, such as doxxing queer Black activist Preston Mitchum, and that she would “not pull back from CELEBRATING that an evil man died by the method he chose to embrace.”
As reported by the Arkansas Times, “A parade of white Republicans in Arkansas, including the governor and the attorney general, quickly came for Branch’s job.” And they were ultimately successful in their efforts to remove a Black woman law professor from her position.
In September, Branch was suspended with pay while the school conducted an investigation. But that investigation appears to have been disingenuous at best. On September 24th, Bowen School of Law Dean Colin Crawford fired Branch, writing, “free expression must be balanced against standards of appropriate professional behavior.” Then, earlier this month, an appeals panel made up of UA Little Rock faculty rejected that outcome, recommending Branch receive a warning. But UA Little Rock Chancellor Christina Drale rejected the appeals panel’s recommendation. Instead, Drale upheld Branch’s termination, writing that Branch’s posts were disruptive to “the operation and effectiveness of the Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, the Bowen School of Law, and UA Little Rock.”
The irony is palpable that Branch is getting fired for her own controversial statements when Kirk made a career of making controversial statements.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].
