Penn Suspends Law Professor Amy Wax Over Claims of Racist, Offensive Comments – WSJ

The University of Pennsylvania is suspending Amy Wax, a tenured law professor accused of making racist, sexist and antigay comments, in a case that has tested the limit of academic freedoms and freedom of speech.

The outcome of the closely watched case, following more than two years of university proceedings, marked a rare instance of a tenured U.S. professor being severely reprimanded for his or her comments. However, the decision fell short of her being let go, which some student groups have called for over the years.

Wax, a former assistant to the U.S. Solicitor General who has argued 15 cases before the Supreme Court, will be suspended for a year on half pay, taking effect in the fall of 2025, according to a public letter sent by the university dated Tuesday. The measure also includes the loss of her named chair and the loss of summer pay in perpetuity. Wax will also be required to note in public appearances that she is speaking only for herself, and not as a faculty member.

The university said Wax has a history of making sweeping, blithe, and derogatory generalizations about groups by race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and immigration status, both inside and out of the classroom. It also said she breached grade-privacy requirements by speaking about law students grades by race.

The decision, which follows a three-day hearing held in May last year, was approved by the university s interim President J. Larry Jameson.

Wax, 71 years old, declined to comment on the suspension but has previously said her comments have been taken out of context. The professor has written extensively, including in an essay for The Wall Street Journal, on the importance of academic freedom, free speech and the values of free inquiry.

via www.wsj.com

I support Amy Wax, of course, and Penn should be ashamed of itself.