Rowland Rupp, a student at Albany Law School of Union University, has created his own clinical opportunity by suing the school for racial and political discrimination. At issue is the allegedly biased and hostile lectures of Professor Anthony Farley. Rupp is suing under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other civil rights laws.In his lawsuit, Rupp alleges that Farley “intentionally deactivated the classroom’s audio recording system and abandoned course instruction, launching instead into a hostile political and racial monologue directed at white conservative students.” That included claims that the Founding Fathers were “worse than Hitler” and that conservatives “hate everyone – blacks, women, gays” and that they aim to “conserve slavery.”
Rupp alleges that Farley also singled him out over his personal appearance as an example of “what conservatives look like,” referring to them as “Daniel Boone.” The complaint also said that Farley harassed him on Facebook for his “Daniel Boone” clothing, a “Remember the Alamo” hat, and generally having an “incel/MAGA look.”
Rupp said that he told Farley after the class that, after enduring “approximately thirty minutes of this abuse,” he would leave the class and file a complaint with the law school.
After filing the complaint, Rupp alleges that the law school ignored it without calling witnesses or seeking evidence. Then, Farley himself reportedly filed a
“disciplinary complaint,” claiming that he was assaulted by Rupp and subjected to a “crazy and racist scene.” Rupp says that he merely “briefly placed his hand on Professor Farley’s shoulder in a non-threatening manner” in stating his intent to leave his class and file a complaint.
The complaint alleges that Farley has previously been the subject of such complaints.
These are starkly different accounts, and we will have to wait for a response from Professor Farley.
Regrettably, I routinely hear from law students about professors delivering anti-Republican or anti-conservative diatribes in classes. There is a sense of impunity at law schools, where professors enjoy ideological echo chambers that range from the left to the far left. With only 9 percent of law professors identifying as conservative, most faculties have practically no Republicans or conservatives left.
Despite begrudging acknowledgments of the lack of ideological diversity in higher education, there is no evidence of any real commitment from law schools or other departments to change the status quo.
The few remaining conservatives and libertarians know that they would not survive any political commentary in a class.
It is common to hear inflammatory language from professors advocating “detonating white people,” denouncing police, calling for Republicans to suffer, strangling police officers, celebrating the death of conservatives, calling for the killing of Trump supporters, supporting the murder of conservative protesters and other outrageous statements. One professor who declared that there is “nothing wrong” with such acts of violence as killing conservatives was actually promoted.
We have chronicled actual physical attacks by faculty members who later were lionized by fellow professors and students.
Conversely, there is no margin for error for conservative or libertarian faculty. Postings on social media outside of school are generally protected from liability. However, that has not stopped schools from targeting conservatives who say inappropriate or controversial things on social media. Conservative North Carolina professor Dr. Mike Adams faced calls for termination for years with investigations and cancel campaigns. He repeatedly had to appear in court to defend his right to continue teaching. He was targeted again after an inflammatory tweet. He was done. Under pressure from the university, he agreed to resign in exchange for a settlement. Four years ago this month, Adams went home just days before his final day as a professor. He then committed suicide.
This type of claim is notoriously difficult to establish. The question is whether it can survive threshold challenges to allow for discovery, including past complaints against Farley. The university recognizes that it has an advantage in such litigation, given the robust protections for academic freedom.
This rhetoric is DANGEROUS and STUPID. Whatever happened to following the law and that justice is blind. If they don’t already, these stupid fools are going to have a lot of blood on their hands, and very soon, if this keeps up.
I attended law school and graduate law school quite a while ago. In the five years I studied law never did any profesor I encountered dureing thise five years ever express his or her own political opinions or suggest that students adhere to his or her legal or philosophical beliefs. The law school I attended for my basic law degree was at a state university. My graduate law study was at a private institution. Each of these universities conducted law classes to introduce students to the various areas of law, explain the law in each of these areas with the suggestion of personal research to expand the understanding in each area. Never was there any suggestion that “this, or that was the appropriate way to think.” I cannot understand why an experience such as mine cannot be a “map” for law professors to follow in their instructions. Who cares what the professor’s personal political opinions are??
Rupp makes some crazy allegations but he carries the burden of proof on his claims. I doubt he will have many witnesses or hard evidence of what he claims is true. Only through discovery, if the case gets that far, will we know.
Here is a post from a former student regarding this lawsuit, it sure shines a bright light on common complaints by MAGA aligned lawyers/students of the school,
“ Albany Law School deletes alumni comments and posts, but the truth will prevail. The school has become a hate-filled institution, with professors who openly hate America, hate Jews, and embrace radical leftist ideology.
This is not the Albany Law School we attended. There must be accountability. Dean Cinnamon Carlarne and the Board of Trustees have shown moral cowardice by allowing a professor to celebrate the mass rapes, beheadings, and kidnappings carried out by Hamas on October 7 — and to continue doubling down since then.
They preach the importance of free speech but immediately delete comments on their social media sites – why? Are they afraid of an open discussion and accountability?”
A private school like Albany law school can delete comments and posts all day long if they want to. The irony is that free speech can be limited or censored by private parties or entities. Crazy huh?
It’s obvious some conservative students are exaggerating or hyperbolizing what happens at the school because of..viewpoint intolerance. Ooof, there goes that irony again.
“Rupp makes some crazy allegations “
Xlax, how do you know the allegations are crazy? You make such statements and then prove them with erroneous facts and logic.
No need to read further. You are worthless.
Trust in the justice system rests entirely upon the belief and, hopefully, evidence that justice is impartial, nondenominattional, and nonpartisan, in short, honest.
Trust in the justice system, and not a small amount of fear of enforcement, is the wall between peace and violent chaos.
That wall is becoming dangerously weak and when it truly fails things will get very ugly.
Professor Farley sounds like a true POS.
It’s likely that the crime victims of MOST civil liberties abuses over the past 30 years are government employees/contractors working in our federal security and intelligence agencies and especially their non-government family members.
The Virginia ACLU has jurisdiction over many of these security/intelligence agencies, but there is almost no mention by the Virginia ACLU when government employees and their families are on the receiving end of these government abuses.
In other words, intel family members – that never joined any agency- can be destroyed for life without committing any crime. Never allowed oversight by any judge or jury.
This is a systematic problem not a human problem. This is not meant to disparage our brave intel community.
Maybe we need an ACLU type group to investigate the biggest civil liberties violations in at least 30 years?
Years from now as this lay in the past, Rowland Rupp will realize that ‘It’s time to walk away’:
You Can’t Fix Stupid
A much bigger