An interesting letter from Kansas Supreme Court Justice Caleb Stegall, sent on Friday to the Dean of the University of Kansas School of Law (and prompted by this e-mail from the KU Law Faculty/Staff Diversity, Including & Belonging Committee [UPDATE: note that the Dean is a faculty member of that Committee]):
Dear Dean Mazza:
… I write to let you know that … I will not be renewing my teaching relationship with KU Law next fall….
It has been a joy and privilege to teach some of the best students at KU Law over the past six years. During those years my students have arrived with a diversity of backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religious persuasions, and political persuasions. Yet this has never impeded us from taking up—together—the exciting task of becoming lawyers.
To that end, I have taught the craft, skills, and habits of effective advocacy—always grounded in the foundational principles of our profession….
So you will understand why I was disappointed to hear from KU Law students who recently came to me to express concern over administration actions surrounding a lunch-hour event sponsored by the student chapter of the Federalist Society. My understanding, from participants, is that after the KU Law student chapter of the Federalist Society announced that a lawyer from the Alliance Defending Freedom would speak in Green Hall, there was a significant uproar from members of the student body and faculty. Concerned about what might happen at the event, the Federalist Society student chapter President asked the administration to provide event security. In response, the administration asked to meet with the entire student board of the chapter.
