果冻传媒app官方

Georgetown University: Calls to Rescind Incoming Lecturer's Appointment Over Tweets on Successor to Justice Breyer

Cases

Georgetown University

Search all Cases

Case Overview

FIRE Victory closed

On January 21, 2022, Georgetown University Law Center announced Ilya Shapiro as the Senior Lecturer and Executive Director for the Georgetown Center for the Constitution. On January 26, 2022, in the wake of Justice Breyer鈥檚 announcement that he would retire, Shapiro posted tweets about potential replacements for Justice Breyer that some found offensive. The tweets drew condemnation from Georgetown Law Dean William Treanor and calls to rescind Shapiro鈥檚 employment contract. 

FIRE wrote Georgetown鈥檚 leadership on January 30, reminding them the university has promised to 鈥渁ll members of the University community鈥 the 鈥渂roadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge, and learn,鈥 even when that speech is 鈥渢hought by some or even most of the community鈥 to be 鈥渙ffensive, unwise, immoral, or ill conceived.鈥 On January 31, Shapiro was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. Georgetown finally reinstated him on June 2 after a 122-day investigation, determining that the law school couldn鈥檛 punish him for a tweet he posted before the start of his employment. Shapiro resigned on June 6.

Share