Legal News

At U. of Iowa College of Law, an Allegation of Political Hiring

By Dan Slater

Remember L’Affaire Chemerinsky? In 2007, the then Duke law prof, Erwin Chemerinsky, was rehired as the inaugural dean of UC-Irvine law school, a week after the school’s chancellor rescinded an initial offer for the job. The school’s initial about-face prompted accusations that conservatives pressured Irvine’s chancellor to scuttle the appointment.

The latest accusation of political hiring in the ivory tower comes from Iowa. Teresa R. Wagner, the Associate Director of the University of Iowa College of Law Writing Resource Center, sued the school and its dean, Tax Prof Carolyn Jones (pictured), claiming that she was twice rejected for a legal writing faculty position because of her conservative political views.

Click here for reports from the Chronicle of Higher Education, the Des Moines Register and Tax Prof blog.

Wagner reportedly argues that her connections to conservative orgs such as the National Right to Life Committee did her in with a liberal-leaning faculty. To bolster her case, the lawsuit dissects the political affiliations of the approximately 50 faculty members who vote on law-school faculty hires; 46 of them are registered as Democrats and only one, hired 20 years ago, is a Republican, the lawsuit states. Wagner also says that a law-school associate dean suggested that she conceal her affiliation with a conservative law school [Ave Maria] and later told her not to apply for any more faculty positions.

“She just wants to make it known that conservatives need not apply,” Wagner’s lawyer, Stephen Fieweger told the Des Moines Register. “Liberals talk about diversity, except when it comes to bringing in a different, conservative point of view.”

But Dean Jones told the Register, “Teresa didn’t get the job, and I’m sure she’s disappointed, but she didn’t not get the job because of her politics,” Jones said. “I’m happy to have her here, and she’s done a good job for us at the writing center, but frankly, her record wasn’t as strong as some of the other candidates.”

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on January 26, 2009 (boomark / email).