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rescinded,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 [email protected]
and
by
tweet
at @WritesForRent.