Marquette University in Milwaukee will continue the suspension of a professor over a controversial blog post through next fall.
In November 2014, Professor John McAdams posted a student’s recording on his conservative blog that he argued showed a teaching assistant had shut down a classroom conversation about same-sex marriage because she disagreed with a student’s conservative views. The post was picked up by other conservative writers. A month later McAdams, was suspended from teaching and other campus duties.
His attorney, Rick Esenberg of the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, said such actions are almost unheard of.
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“Major research universities simply do not behave this way. They do not terminate tenured faculty for expressing their opinion. And is completely inconsistent with any workable notion of academic freedom,” said Esenberg.
In a letter released Thursday, Marquette University President Michael Lovell wrote the disciplinary actions against McAdams were “guided by Marquette University’s values and is solely based on Professor McAdams’ actions, and not political or ideological views expressed in his blog.”
Esenberg said the disciplinary action taken this week includes the continued suspension and a demand that McAdams apologize before being reinstated.
“President Lovell compounded the free speech violation by demanding that Professor McAdams engage in compelled speech and admit that something is true that he does not believe to be true,” Esenberg said.
Esenberg said the university’s actions could lead to litigation.
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