Supreme Court Justice to remain at GW Law after Thousands Call for his Removal
GW Hatchet | Henry Huvos and Sophia Goedert
Underscoring faculty members’ academic freedom and freedom of expression and inquiry, as well as the value of debate and the exchange of ideas to the University’s mission, GW Law will not fire Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas after more than 6,000 people signed a petition calling for his termination after he voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“Provost Christopher Bracey and GW Law Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew said in an email Tuesday that employing Thomas will allow students to exchange ideas and that debate is essential to the University’s educational mission to train students to address the world’s problems.”
“The email states while Thomas’ views ‘do not represent’ the views of GW Law or the University as a whole, Thomas has ‘academic freedom and freedom of expression and inquiry’ like all other faculty members. GW’s academic freedom guidelines, which officials quoted in the email, state it is not the University’s responsibility to ‘shield’ individuals from opinions they may find offensive.”
