Loyola University New Orleans: Professor Repeatedly Investigated, Sanctioned for Protected Speech
Cases
Loyola University New Orleans
Case Overview
In June 2020, Loyola University New Orleans students circulated a petition demanding the university punish professor Walter Block, accusing him of holding 鈥渞acist and sexist鈥 beliefs. The university initially refused to punish Block. However, throughout 2021 and 2022, Loyola investigated, sanctioned, and required Block to complete a diversity training course in response to in-class comments, including his use of the word 鈥淥riental,鈥 his teaching of the 鈥渕arital asymmetry hypothesis鈥 as an explanation for the gender wage gap, and his reference to slave owners in a discussion about authoritarianism. On October 31, 2022, FIREwrote Loyola urging it to drop its investigations and sanctions against Block, as all of his comments are pedagogically relevant and protected by the university鈥檚 academic freedom commitments. On November 14, Loyola responded its actions were in accordance with state and federal law. FIREreiterated our concerns in a December 20 follow-up letter, but our efforts were again rebuffed.