Category: Academia

Academia, Politics, Society

Harvard Survey: Only Seven Percent Of Incoming Students Identify As Conservative

We have been discussing the rising intolerance for conservative, libertarian, and Republican students and faculty on campuses across the country. Faculties rarely hire conservative or libertarian professors; journals rarely publish studies from conservative authors.  As the number of conservative faculty members diminish or disappear on faculties, schools appear to be carrying out the same bias in student admissions. The Harvard Crimson has finished its annual survey of the incoming class of students and found that the already small population of conservative and Republican students has been cut by roughly half.

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Academia, Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Media, Politics, Society, Supreme Court

Fact Check: New York Times Cuts Precedent for Election Year Nominations By Almost Half [Updated]

Last night, I was finalizing my column for USA Today when one of my editors flagged my reference to the roughly 30 election-year nominations to the Supreme Court as a possible error.  The New York Times ran a story declaring that there “there have been 16 Supreme Court vacancies that occurred before Election Day.” I have previously discussed glaring misstatements of cases in major media, but this was unnerving because the New York Times was suggesting that the precedent for the current nomination was roughly half as previously thought. I decided to do another rough count and, if anything, it would seem that the 29 nomination figure is arguably too low and that there appears almost twice the number cited by the New York Times.  The difference appears in part counting a calendar year rather than a year from election, but that approach causes problems in comparison given the earlier early election calendars.

Continue reading “Fact Check: New York Times Cuts Precedent for Election Year Nominations By Almost Half [Updated]” →

Academia, Free Speech, International

Rowling’s Books Burned or Banned Around the World Over Her Personal Views Of Gender

In Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore told the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends.”  Many are learning the truth of that line written by famed author JK Rowling as self-described progressives burn her books or ban them from shelves because she personally holds an opposing view of gender.  Much like the boycott movement of Chick-Fil-A over comments by its CEO, people are seeking to punish Rowling through attacks on her literature.  We previously discussed the embracing of art destruction as analogous to book burning, but now actual book burning is being embraced as a weapon of the woke.

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Academia, Free Speech, Politics

“Antifa Is A Real Thing”: FBI Director Wray Rebuts Democratic Claims That Antifa Is a “Myth”

I recently testified on Antifa and the growing anti-free speech movement in the United States. I specifically disagreed with statements by Democrats denying that Antifa was playing a role in protests or, as House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler claimed, Antifa is a “myth.” This afternoon, FBI Director Chris Wray pushed back on similar claims and declared that “Antifa is a real thing” and that the FBI has various cases of self-identified Antifa members involved in criminal conduct.

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Academia, Constitutional Law, Media, Politics

Turley To Speak At The University Of Michigan On Impeachment

Today I have the pleasure of speaking at the University of Michigan as part of a Constitution Day event.  I will be joined by Professor Michael Gerhardt (UNC School of Law) in discussing the history of presidential impeachments from Johnson to Trump. Both Professor Gerhardt and I testified at both the Clinton and Trump impeachment. I also served as lead defense counsel in the last judicial impeachment of Judge Thomas Porteous. The event was switched to a virtual format and will be held from 4:10 to 5:30 pm ET today. You can join via Zoom at https://umich.zoom.us/j/97622039094

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Academia, Bizarre, Free Speech, Media, Politics, Religion

“Opus Dei, Anyone?”: Laurence Tribe Raises Barr’s Religious Beliefs In Latest Diatribe [Updated]

Many of us criticized statements attributed to Attorney General Bill Barr this week calling for the use of sedition laws against rioters. However, instead of raising constitutional or statutory objections, Harvard Professor Laurence Tribe instead raised Barr’s Catholic faith in a completely unwarranted and unfounded tweet. The response to the reference was total silence. Not a single professor at Harvard or elsewhere chastised the use of a person’s religion in such commentary. This is not the first profane or prejudiced statement by Tribe.

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Academia, Constitutional Law, Free Speech, Lawyering, Media, Politics, Torts

Dershowitz Sues CNN For $300,000,000 In Defamation Action

Alan Dershowitz just filed a whale of a lawsuit against CNN, though it could end up beached in short order under controlling case law.  The Harvard Law professor emeritus is demanding $300,000,000 in compensatory and punitive damages from CNN for misrepresenting his legal arguments in the Trump impeachment trial.  In fairness to Dershowitz, the coverage of the trial by CNN was dreadful with intentionally and consistently slanted coverage of the evidence, standards, and arguments.  However, the objections raised by Dershowitz are likely to be treated as part of the peril for high-profile figures operating in the public domain. In other words, you can complain about the weather but you cannot sue the storm. Continue reading “Dershowitz Sues CNN For $300,000,000 In Defamation Action” →

Academia, Society

Cornell Faculty Demands Removal Of “Colorblind” Policies While Chicago Will Only Accept Applicants For “Black Studies” In English

The Cornell Faculty Coalition has issued a  letter  with a long list of supporting faculty that calls for massive anti-racism measures including the elimination of “colorblind” policies in various areas.  It is a reversal of decades of struggle to guarantee colorblind policies, which are now being portrayed as themselves the means of racism. The University of Chicago English Department has announced that it will not even consider applicants who have any interest other than “Black studies.”

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Academia, Criminal law

Connecticut Professor Denounces Reinoehl Killing As A “Hit Job” While Describing His Killing of A Counterprotester As A Matter Of “Tactics”

We have been discussing the controversy after a Rhode Island Professor Eric Loomis declared that there was “nothing wrong” with the killing of Aaron “Jay” Danielson, the member of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer by Michael Reinoehl, an Antifa member. He insisted that the decision of whether to take the life of a “fascist” is purely a tactical, not moral, decision. Connecticut History Professor Manisha Sinha also weighed in on the issue. She referred to the killing of Reinoehl a “hit job” by police while using the same language of the killing of Danielson as a matter of tactics. She was cited by Loomis in a post.

Continue reading “Connecticut Professor Denounces Reinoehl Killing As A “Hit Job” While Describing His Killing of A Counterprotester As A Matter Of “Tactics”” →

Academia, Criminal law, Media, Politics

“I See Nothing Wrong With It”: Rhode Island Professor Defends Murder Of Right-Wing Protester In Portland

Most human beings were disgusted by the murder of Aaron “Jay” Danielson, the member of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer, in Portland. University of Rhode Island Professor Erik Loomis is not among them. Loomis defended the killing by Michael Reinoehl, an Antifa member who appears to have stalked Danielson before gunning him down.  Loomis insisted that any problem in gunning down right-wing counterprotesters was tactical not moral. Continue reading ““I See Nothing Wrong With It”: Rhode Island Professor Defends Murder Of Right-Wing Protester In Portland” →

Academia, Constitutional Law, Politics, Society

ACLU Staffer Attacks University For Admitting Nick Sandmann While Professor Denounces His “Anti-Intellectual” Views [Updated]

I have previously written, as a long supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), about my concern over how the venerable group has changed under its current leadership, including a departure from its long robust defense of free speech. Recently, the ACLU has abandoned its famed neutrality and has not supported some on the right while supporting those on the left. Now, the ACLU’s Samuel Crankshaw in Kentucky has targeted Transylvania University for admitting Nick Sandmann, who was falsely accused of abusing a Native American activist in front of Lincoln Memorial. (Crankshaw identifies as an ACLU staffer on social media) Despite various media organizations correcting the story and some settling with Sandmann, some in the media have continued to attack him.  Yet, it is far more alarming to see an ACLU official rallying people against a young man whose chief offense appears to be that he is publicly (and unapologetically) conservative and pro-life.

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Academia, Constitutional Law

Vanderbilt Quiz On The Constitution Marked Students Wrong If They Said It Was Not Designed To Perpetuate White Supremacy

A conservative student organization has flagged a quiz at Vanderbilt University where students were asked “Was the Constitution designed to perpetuate white supremacy and protect the institution of slavery?” A student who answered “false” was marked wrong by the professor.  The class is taught by Professors Josh Clinton, Eunji Kim, Jon Meacham, and Dean John Geer entitled PSCI 1150: U. S. ELECTIONS 2020.  Meacham is a regular guest on MSNBC and CNN and other networks as well as a contributing editor for The New York Times Book Review. Continue reading “Vanderbilt Quiz On The Constitution Marked Students Wrong If They Said It Was Not Designed To Perpetuate White Supremacy” →

Academia, Animals

Virtually Insane: School Sends Police To Home After Child Shows A Clearly Fake Gun During Online Class

We have previously followed the suspensions and discipline of students under zero tolerance policies that are used by teachers to justify zero judgment or responsibility. I have long criticized zero tolerance policies that have led to suspensions and arrests of children (here, here and here and here and here and here). Now this insanity has gone insane after a Colorado school district called police because a 12-year-old boy flashing a clearly toy gun in his own home.  While the teacher told police the orange gun marked “Zombie Killer” was clearly a toy, the police went to the home of Isiah Elliot on a welfare check and the boy who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities was suspended.  Does that make sense as opposed to a simple call to the parents?

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Academia, Free Speech, Politics, Society

New York Assistant Principal Under Fire For Video Screaming “F**K The Police”

Steven Lysenko clearly is not part of the Blue Lives Matter movement.  Lysenko was shown recently on a video screaming “F**k the Police” and other profanities. That is a common form of political expression. The problem is that, in addition to be anti-police, Lysenko is the assistant principal of Spencerport High School. As will come as no surprise to readers of this blog, I do not support Lysenko’s views but I strongly oppose those who want to discipline or fire him because of his exercise of free speech.

 

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Res ipsa loquitur – The thing itself speaks