Proud to say that Dean Matthews is an alumna of the University of Virginia School of Law. She might have quoted the Law School’s founder, Thomas Jefferson: For here we are not afraid to tolerate error so long as reason is left free to combat it.
A snippet in the NYT's Morning newsletter made me think of this article: "According to an F.B.I. affidavit, De Groft threatened an expert who expressed qualms after assessing the artworks. “Shut up,” De Groft allegedly wrote in an email. “Stop being holier than thou.”" Is saying 'shut up' threatening? I teach my kids it's not polite, but I wouldn't consider it threatening unless someone was holding a gun.
As for Justice Thomas, I'd tend to agree with the law students. It's one thing to not share views with a prominent jurist and quite another to continue his employment. When the political system is as broken as ours currently is, other forms of action should be taken.
I personally can't stand Justice Thomas (or Kavanaugh, for that matter) but neither should be banned from teaching a Constitutional Law course. Maybe I was naive or ignorant, but when I was in law school, I actually had no idea what my professors' political beliefs were.
Well explained, David. As much as we may personally disagree with a view or as reprehensible or offensive we may find it, we all have the right to express ourselves without fear of being silenced or being punished for doing so.
Proud to say that Dean Matthews is an alumna of the University of Virginia School of Law. She might have quoted the Law School’s founder, Thomas Jefferson: For here we are not afraid to tolerate error so long as reason is left free to combat it.
That is a great quote that I hadn’t heard before—thanks!
A snippet in the NYT's Morning newsletter made me think of this article: "According to an F.B.I. affidavit, De Groft threatened an expert who expressed qualms after assessing the artworks. “Shut up,” De Groft allegedly wrote in an email. “Stop being holier than thou.”" Is saying 'shut up' threatening? I teach my kids it's not polite, but I wouldn't consider it threatening unless someone was holding a gun.
As for Justice Thomas, I'd tend to agree with the law students. It's one thing to not share views with a prominent jurist and quite another to continue his employment. When the political system is as broken as ours currently is, other forms of action should be taken.
David, I love what you wrote here.
I personally can't stand Justice Thomas (or Kavanaugh, for that matter) but neither should be banned from teaching a Constitutional Law course. Maybe I was naive or ignorant, but when I was in law school, I actually had no idea what my professors' political beliefs were.
Well explained, David. As much as we may personally disagree with a view or as reprehensible or offensive we may find it, we all have the right to express ourselves without fear of being silenced or being punished for doing so.