http://www.alliancealert.org news from the frontlines of the culture war Thu, 24 May 2012 23:12:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/17/christian-legal-society-v-martinez-decision-upends-campus-religious-groups/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/17/christian-legal-society-v-martinez-decision-upends-campus-religious-groups/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 16:33:35 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133949 Huffington Post (Religion News Service) (5/11/2012): Jeremy Tedesco, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, sees the Martinez decision "lurking in the background" of other cases. He filed suit in February on behalf of the Christian anti-abortion group Make Up Your Own Mind at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. The school, which does not have an all-comers policy like Hastings, was not going to formally recognize the group because officials deemed it nonreligious. "We don't want the government determining whether a group is or is not religious," he said. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/17/christian-legal-society-v-martinez-decision-upends-campus-religious-groups/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/10/supreme-court-decision-on-religion-upends-campus-religious-groups/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/10/supreme-court-decision-on-religion-upends-campus-religious-groups/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 16:14:03 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=133402 Washington Post: Jeremy Tedesco, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, sees the Martinez decision “lurking in the background” of other cases. He filed suit in February on behalf of the Christian anti-abortion group Make Up Your Own Mind at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. The school, which does not have an all-comers policy like Hastings, was not going to formally recognize the group because officials deemed it nonreligious. “We don’t want the government determining whether a group is or is not religious,” he said. The school has since officially recognized Make Up Your Own Mind; Tedesco said the ADF is working on a settlement. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/05/10/supreme-court-decision-on-religion-upends-campus-religious-groups/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/28/the-top-12-worst-colleges-for-free-speech/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/28/the-top-12-worst-colleges-for-free-speech/#comments Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:14:47 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=129874 Daily Caller: Once again, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE, where I work), has sorted through the hundreds of colleges and universities across the nation that severely restrict the First Amendment rights of their students, and is ready to present a “dirty dozen” of colleges that have attacked freedom of speech with such zeal that we cannot help but (dis)honor them. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/03/28/the-top-12-worst-colleges-for-free-speech/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/01/09/david-hacker-adf-joins-coalition-calling-on-u-s-department-of-education-to-protect-speech-on-campus/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/01/09/david-hacker-adf-joins-coalition-calling-on-u-s-department-of-education-to-protect-speech-on-campus/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:14:03 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=122399 Speak Up Movement University: The ADF Center for Academic Freedom joined a broad coalition of organizations today calling on the U.S. Department of Education to clarify when colleges may and may not investigate and punish student “harassment.” The letter, written by our friends at FIRE, is available here. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/01/09/david-hacker-adf-joins-coalition-calling-on-u-s-department-of-education-to-protect-speech-on-campus/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/01/09/how-campus-codes-threaten-free-speech-bangor-daily-news/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/01/09/how-campus-codes-threaten-free-speech-bangor-daily-news/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:48:10 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=122358 Bangor Daily News: This week, FIRE and a broad coalition of organizations (the Tully Center for Free Speech at Syracuse University, National Coalition Against Censorship, the Heartland Institute, National Association of Scholars, Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom, Feminists for Free Expression, Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance, American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, Accuracy in Academia, and the American Council of Trustees and Alumni) are writing to the OCR to request that it publicly affirm the Davis standard as the controlling definition for harassment on campus. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2012/01/09/how-campus-codes-threaten-free-speech-bangor-daily-news/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/01/ok-to-discriminate-against-christians-says-law-vandy/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/01/ok-to-discriminate-against-christians-says-law-vandy/#comments Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:31:04 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=119775 OneNewsNow.com: Four Christian groups at Vanderbilt University are "under a serious threat" from the legal and cultural climates and may soon be booted from the campus because of a new university policy that says they must accept anyone and everyone into their organizations. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/12/01/ok-to-discriminate-against-christians-says-law-vandy/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/02/speech-code-of-the-month-colorado-college/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/02/speech-code-of-the-month-colorado-college/#comments Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:59:28 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=117651 The Moral Liberal: Colorado College’s Student Code of Conduct contains a policy on "Respect" that prohibits "any act which endangers the mental or physical health or safety of a student or group, or which destroys or removes public or private property, or which produces ridicule, embarrassment, harassment, intimidation or other such result." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/11/02/speech-code-of-the-month-colorado-college/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/20/uc-reluctant-to-pay-conservative-speaker/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/20/uc-reluctant-to-pay-conservative-speaker/#comments Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:47:39 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=116465 OneNewsNow.com: A law professor says the University of California’s disapproval of a conservative speaker is an example of the movement to quench politically incorrect voices in the educational arena. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/10/20/uc-reluctant-to-pay-conservative-speaker/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/05/27/fire-justice-robert-h-jackson-legal-fellowship/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/05/27/fire-justice-robert-h-jackson-legal-fellowship/#comments Fri, 27 May 2011 17:20:14 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=104929 FIRE: FIRE is seeking one energetic person to serve as our next Justice Robert H. Jackson Legal Fellow. Working closely with FIRE's President and Director of Legal and Public Advocacy, Jackson Fellows produce legal scholarship on issues central to FIRE's mission of protecting core constitutional liberties on campus—freedom of speech, due process rights, freedom of assembly, freedom of conscience, academic freedom, and more . . . ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/05/27/fire-justice-robert-h-jackson-legal-fellowship/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/04/21/fire-asks-supreme-court-to-review-ninth-circuit-decision-limiting-challenges-to-speech-codes/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/04/21/fire-asks-supreme-court-to-review-ninth-circuit-decision-limiting-challenges-to-speech-codes/#comments Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:33:46 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=101693 The Moral Liberal: Regular Torch readers will likely remember Lopez’s shocking story: As a student in a Speech 101 class, Lopez delivered remarks referencing his religious views as part of a class assignment, including expressing his view of Biblical morality and his conception of the proper definition of marriage. Following the speech, Lopez was called a “fascist bastard” by his professor. When Lopez asked for a grade, the professor recommended that Lopez “Ask God what your grade is.” Additionally, Lopez was told by his professor that he had likely violated LACCD’s policies as a result of his speech. Lopez filed suit against LACCD in February 2009 with the assistance of the Alliance Defense Fund, alleging that his First Amendment rights had been violated and that the speech codes maintained by LACCD were unconstitutional. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/04/21/fire-asks-supreme-court-to-review-ninth-circuit-decision-limiting-challenges-to-speech-codes/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/04/19/free-speech-academic-freedom-and-first-amendment-rights-of-college-faculty/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/04/19/free-speech-academic-freedom-and-first-amendment-rights-of-college-faculty/#comments Tue, 19 Apr 2011 16:52:19 +0000 ADF Alliance Alert http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=101423 Huffington Post: Adams appealed the summary judgment with the support of the Alliance Defense Fund, the American Association of University Professors, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression. On April 6 the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed with respect to Adams' First Amendment claim, ruling that the First Amendment did apply to the speech in question and so the case must go to trial. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/04/19/free-speech-academic-freedom-and-first-amendment-rights-of-college-faculty/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/28/tyler-clementi-act-a-serious-threat-to-free-speech/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/28/tyler-clementi-act-a-serious-threat-to-free-speech/#comments Fri, 28 Jan 2011 20:47:06 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=94098 writing at Pajamas Media: "[A]s the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has repeatedly determined, the vast majority of colleges maintain policies that restrict far more expression than the law requires . . . Lautenberg and Holt’s bill will only make this problem worse by actually requiring colleges and universities to enact policies that violate the Constitution." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/28/tyler-clementi-act-a-serious-threat-to-free-speech/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/26/renowned-prof-challenges-religion-inspired-promotion-denial/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/26/renowned-prof-challenges-religion-inspired-promotion-denial/#comments Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:51:24 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=93438 Charisma: "'Christian professors should not be discriminated against because of their beliefs. Disagreeing with an accomplished professor’s religious and political views is no grounds for refusing him promotion,' says [ADF attorney David French]. 'Opinion columns are some of the clearest examples of free speech protected by the First Amendment. Mentioning them on a promotion application does not change that.'" ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/26/renowned-prof-challenges-religion-inspired-promotion-denial/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/25/93300/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/25/93300/#comments Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:32:15 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=93300 ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2011/01/25/93300/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/29/via-fire-legal-scholarship-on-free-speech-at-universities/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/29/via-fire-legal-scholarship-on-free-speech-at-universities/#comments Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:51:35 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=88934 FIRE: "With the year coming to a close, it's as good a time as any to check out the impressive legal scholarship that FIRE has amassed in the past few years. These law journal and law review articles bring much-needed attention and legal scrutiny to the free speech issues that lie at the heart of FIRE's mission and activities." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/29/via-fire-legal-scholarship-on-free-speech-at-universities/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/29/university-of-virginia-reforms-speech-code/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/29/university-of-virginia-reforms-speech-code/#comments Wed, 29 Dec 2010 16:51:08 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=88848 The Washington Post / The Answer Sheet: "The University of Virginia has eliminated four controversial policies that restricted the free speech of students and faculty, becoming one of a minority of schools across the country to do so . . . More than two-thirds of the nation’s colleges maintain policies that clearly and substantially restrict freedom of speech, according to FIRE." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/29/university-of-virginia-reforms-speech-code/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/28/college-censors-get-ready-to-open-your-wallets/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/28/college-censors-get-ready-to-open-your-wallets/#comments Tue, 28 Dec 2010 18:42:01 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=88606 writing at Pajamas Media: "There are 296 American public officials at grave risk of being personally sued for civil rights violations. The names of those who may soon be paying out of pocket for civil damages include some of America’s most respected citizens, who every day manage multi-million dollar budgets and massive numbers of government employees with little oversight and even less accountability. Can you guess who they are? They are the presidents of many of America’s largest and most prestigious public colleges and universities." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/28/college-censors-get-ready-to-open-your-wallets/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/09/fire-helping-students-unlearn-lessons-taught-on-hate-speech/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/09/fire-helping-students-unlearn-lessons-taught-on-hate-speech/#comments Thu, 09 Dec 2010 18:08:10 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=85627 The Legal Project: "Through cases like those enumerated above related to expression concerning Islam, and through countless others directed more generally at protecting individual liberty on our campuses, the FIRE is helping students to unlearn some dangerous lessons they are being taught at our colleges and universities about the scope of individual liberty." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/12/09/fire-helping-students-unlearn-lessons-taught-on-hate-speech/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/30/criticism-of-fires-stance-on-tyler-clementi-higher-education-anti-harassment-act-misses-the-mark/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/30/criticism-of-fires-stance-on-tyler-clementi-higher-education-anti-harassment-act-misses-the-mark/#comments Tue, 30 Nov 2010 23:15:58 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=84460 FIRE: "Unfortunately—but perhaps not surprisingly, given the understandably powerful emotions driving the legislation—some have taken our criticism of the bill as evidence that FIRE is serving some sinister partisan agenda . . . As "proof" of our hidden agenda, LaVictoire charges that FIRE is 'rather strongly tied to groups like the Alliance Defense Fund and the Family Research Council.' But this lazy guilt-by-association dog won't hunt. While FIRE has successfully worked with the Alliance Defense Fund to defend First Amendment rights on campus, so too have we won crucial victories with many state and regional chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/30/criticism-of-fires-stance-on-tyler-clementi-higher-education-anti-harassment-act-misses-the-mark/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/29/fire-attacks-tyler-clementi-anti-bullying-bill/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/29/fire-attacks-tyler-clementi-anti-bullying-bill/#comments Mon, 29 Nov 2010 16:25:22 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=84060 LezGetReal: "The Foundation for Individual Rights In Education has decided unilaterally that it is necessary to maintain harassment and discrimination against students in schools because they believe that it is alright to bully lesbians and gays . . . FIRE, which is rather strongly tied to groups like the Alliance Defense Fund and the Family Research Council claims to work on 'behalf of individual rights, due process, freedom of expression, academic freedom, and rights of conscience at our nation’s colleges and universities.'" ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/29/fire-attacks-tyler-clementi-anti-bullying-bill/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/24/fire-tyler-clementi-higher-education-anti-harassment-act-threatens-free-speech-on-campus/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/24/fire-tyler-clementi-higher-education-anti-harassment-act-threatens-free-speech-on-campus/#comments Wed, 24 Nov 2010 17:31:46 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=83870 FIRE: "An 'anti-bullying' bill introduced in Congress last week gravely threatens free speech on America's college campuses. Despite the bill's admirable intention of preventing future tragedies, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has determined that the bill is at odds with the Supreme Court's carefully crafted definition of harassment and would require colleges to violate the First Amendment." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/24/fire-tyler-clementi-higher-education-anti-harassment-act-threatens-free-speech-on-campus/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/02/virginias-worst-university-speech-code-george-mason-university/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/02/virginias-worst-university-speech-code-george-mason-university/#comments Tue, 02 Nov 2010 22:11:19 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=79911 writing in the Richmond Times-Dispatch: "Yet when it comes to Orwellian regulation of thoughtcrime, Tech remains a rank amateur next to George Mason University. GMU maintains a speech code that prohibits 'any form of bigotry . . . . whether verbal, written, psychological, direct, or implied.'" Ilya Somin, Associate Professor at George Mason University School of Law, comments at The Volokh Conspiracy: ". . . Hinkle is absolutely right to point out the egregious flaws in the GMU code and to urge George Mason and other schools to repeal their codes without waiting for a legal challenge to arise." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/11/02/virginias-worst-university-speech-code-george-mason-university/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/29/casey-mattox-fire-gives-uva-green-light-for-student-speech/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/29/casey-mattox-fire-gives-uva-green-light-for-student-speech/#comments Fri, 29 Oct 2010 20:58:34 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=79363 Casey Mattox writing at Speak Up Movement / University: "Of the nearly four hundred public colleges and universities whose policies are assessed by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), the University of Virginia is now one of 13 schools given FIRE’s coveted 'green light,' meaning that the school’s policies respect constitutionally protected student speech." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/29/casey-mattox-fire-gives-uva-green-light-for-student-speech/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/29/university-of-virginia-eliminates-all-speech-codes-earning-fires-green-light-rating/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/29/university-of-virginia-eliminates-all-speech-codes-earning-fires-green-light-rating/#comments Fri, 29 Oct 2010 16:34:37 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=79278 FIRE: "This week, the University of Virginia (UVa) confirmed that it had eliminated the last of its policies that unconstitutionally restricted the free speech of students and faculty members. While more than two-thirds of the nation's colleges maintain policies that clearly and substantially restrict freedom of speech, UVa is now a proud exception, having fully reformed four speech codes. UVa has now earned a coveted 'green light' rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/10/29/university-of-virginia-eliminates-all-speech-codes-earning-fires-green-light-rating/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/09/28/david-french-the-academic-freedom-movement-evolves/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/09/28/david-french-the-academic-freedom-movement-evolves/#comments Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:22:02 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=73930 David French writing at Phi Beta Cons: "Last week, the Alliance Defense Fund, at which I’m the director of the Center for Academic Freedom, released part four of 'Hanna’s Story,' our based-on-true-events dramatic series (yes, dramatic series — and I think it’s pretty darn good) about a new student’s struggle to start a pro-life club . . . The conservative academic-freedom movement has come a long way in just a few years. I can remember the good ole days of hardcover books, primitive websites, and using actual Wite-Out on complaints. Now there’s YouTube channels, Facebook pages, and documentary films. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/09/28/david-french-the-academic-freedom-movement-evolves/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/09/15/david-french-deference-do-they-really-deserve-it/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/09/15/david-french-deference-do-they-really-deserve-it/#comments Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:49:01 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=72300 David French writing at Speak Up Movement / University: In the aftermath of CLS v. Martinez, we’ve been seeing quite a bit of discussion about 'deference' — the idea that courts should give public universities wide room to make its own decisions. As Charlotte Allen so ably noted, a distorted concept of deference has been applied to ratify extreme forms of viewpoint discrimination and is now being used to try to insulate even speech codes from constitutional scrutiny. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/09/15/david-french-deference-do-they-really-deserve-it/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/08/09/david-french-evangelicals-and-their-made-up-ideas/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/08/09/david-french-evangelicals-and-their-made-up-ideas/#comments Mon, 09 Aug 2010 21:05:04 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=68062 David French writing at Phi Beta Cons: "Evidence shows that academics have disdain for evangelicals. Evidence also shows that students at secular colleges tend to abandon both their faith and their faith practices. There is also absolutely no doubt that the campus has become quite decadent . . . I don’t know a single serious evangelical leader who believes (as the author asserts) that 'no degree of accommodation [with academia] aside from outright mass conversion is ever going to be enough.' In fact, I know quite a few serious Christians — including my colleagues at the Alliance Defense Fund Center for Academic Freedom — who have a much simpler, more modest goals, like free speech, freedom of association, and giving Christian scholars a fair chance at tenure and promotion in the academy." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/08/09/david-french-evangelicals-and-their-made-up-ideas/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/27/victory-for-academic-freedom-human-heredity-professor-receives-100000-settlement/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/27/victory-for-academic-freedom-human-heredity-professor-receives-100000-settlement/#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:44:28 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/27/victory-for-academic-freedom-human-heredity-professor-receives-100000-settlement/ FIRE: "Nearly three years after she was terminated over her protected classroom speech, the San José/Evergreen Community College District (SJCCD) has agreed to pay adjunct professor June Sheldon $100,000 in lost earnings in exchange for dismissal of her First Amendment lawsuit . . . On July 16, 2008, the Alliance Defense Fund and attorneys from the Pacific Justice Institute filed a lawsuit against the district and several administrators involved in her case." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/27/victory-for-academic-freedom-human-heredity-professor-receives-100000-settlement/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/22/alliance-defense-fund-goes-head-to-head-with-the-university-of-illinois-over-howell-case/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/22/alliance-defense-fund-goes-head-to-head-with-the-university-of-illinois-over-howell-case/#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:32:41 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/22/alliance-defense-fund-goes-head-to-head-with-the-university-of-illinois-over-howell-case/ writing at FIRE's The Torch: "Today we examine the University of Illinois' reply and ADF's response to the reply. ... As FIRE's letter to UIUC stated, the harm at UIUC has already occurred and is ongoing; an investigation of a professor's protected expression violates his or her rights. Further, every day without a resolution of Howell's case deepens the chilling effect on the rest of the university's faculty members, who must now understand that honestly stating their interpretation of the Catholic position on sexual conduct could make them the next ones getting the axe." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/22/alliance-defense-fund-goes-head-to-head-with-the-university-of-illinois-over-howell-case/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/22/free-speechs-death-by-a-thousand-cuts/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/22/free-speechs-death-by-a-thousand-cuts/#comments Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:26:59 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/22/free-speechs-death-by-a-thousand-cuts/ writing at the The John William Pope Center: "An important free speech and academic freedom case merits attention because it appears to portend an erosion of the protection professors have traditionally enjoyed for their writings. The case is serious enough that the plaintiff, Michael Adams, has won the support of several free-speech groups: the American Association of University Professors, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, in addition to the Alliance Defense Fund, which is representing him. ... Tenure and promotion cases can present difficult issues of judgment and departmental discretion regarding quality of work, defying simplistic determination. I do not know enough about the facts in this case to render a confident opinion about who is right or wrong, but the methodology employed by the court reflects a growing problem in the realm of academic freedom that cries out for attention." | Via Speak Up Movement. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/22/free-speechs-death-by-a-thousand-cuts/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/21/gregory-s-baylor-a-report-from-fires-campus-freedom-network-conference/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/21/gregory-s-baylor-a-report-from-fires-campus-freedom-network-conference/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:13:22 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=66141 Speak Up Movement / University: "Last week, I had the great pleasure of attending a conference sponsored by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education's Campus Freedom Network. Along with Greg Lukianoff (FIRE’s President), Adam Kissel (the Director of FIRE’s Individual Rights Defense Program), and Professor Daphne Patai (a member of FIRE’s board of directors), I participated in a panel discussion entitled, "The Philosophical and Practical Underpinnings of Academic Liberty." ... In my prepared remarks, I observed that utilitarian rationales are not the only ethical arguments for free speech — one can make 'deontological' claims as well. People are entitled to speak and people are entitled to receive information, whether or not the effects of the expression are desirable. These entitlements can be called 'rights,' and thinkers differ on where these rights come from. I believe that people are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, including the right to liberty — which includes the right to free speech. To be sure, many today reject the claim that rights come from God, but this conception of rights animated the thinking of the Framers." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/21/gregory-s-baylor-a-report-from-fires-campus-freedom-network-conference/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/19/scholars-westboro-message-at-marines-funeral-offensive-but-protected/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/19/scholars-westboro-message-at-marines-funeral-offensive-but-protected/#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:34:39 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=65820 York Daily Record: "The writers of all seven amicus briefs filed this week with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Westboro Baptist Church noted two things: The protest by the Rev. Fred Phelps and members of his family was terribly offensive and presented a worldview with which they disagreed greatly. And, despite that, all seven said the court must rule in favor of the Kansas-based church when it hears the appeal by Spring Garden Township's Albert Snyder in October." | Via Religion Clause. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/19/scholars-westboro-message-at-marines-funeral-offensive-but-protected/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/19/the-real-scandal-at-illinois/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/19/the-real-scandal-at-illinois/#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:35:49 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/?p=65779 Inside Higher Ed: "[I]f you want to study Roman Catholicism, your instructors have been through different vetting -- they will have been nominated by (and their salaries paid by) the St. John's Catholic Newman Center, a church organization independent of the university, set up to serve Catholic students at the university. ... the situation raises church-state issues at a public institution, presents issues of fairness when it is permitted for only one religious group at a secular college, and may undercut the values of the field of religious studies, faculty critics say. ... "Save Dr. Ken," a Facebook group, has more than 5,000 members. The Alliance Defense Fund, which defends the rights of religious students and faculty members, is taking up his cause. So is the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which issued its analysis of the case on Friday." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/19/the-real-scandal-at-illinois/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/07/travis-barham-adams-appeals-and-wins-some-friends/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/07/travis-barham-adams-appeals-and-wins-some-friends/#comments Wed, 07 Jul 2010 22:09:03 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/07/travis-barham-adams-appeals-and-wins-some-friends/ Travis C. Barham writing at Speak Up Movement / University: "Back in March, a federal district court in North Carolina ruled that Dr. Mike Adams’ nationally syndicated columns were not protected by the First Amendment. ... Well, the next chapter in Dr. Adams’ quest to end discrimination against Christian and conservative professors has now unfolded. Last week, ADF filed the opening brief in his appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. And just days ago, the American Association of University Professors, FIRE, and the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression filed a friend of the court brief on his behalf." ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/07/travis-barham-adams-appeals-and-wins-some-friends/feed/ 0 http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/06/broad-backing-for-appeal-by-conservative-professor/ http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/06/broad-backing-for-appeal-by-conservative-professor/#comments Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:56:29 +0000 Admin http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/06/broad-backing-for-appeal-by-conservative-professor/ Inside Higher Ed / Quick Takes: Mike Adams, a conservative, Christian professor who believes his promotion to full professor at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington was derailed because of opposition to his views, is getting broad backing on a key point in his legal fight. ... Adams has been receiving support from the Alliance Defense Fund. ]]> http://www.alliancealert.org/2010/07/06/broad-backing-for-appeal-by-conservative-professor/feed/ 0