The campaign to get Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh fired from a summer teaching job at George Mason University has failed.
Despite a Change.org petition being dispersed via a Facebook ad campaign and led by a former Hillary Clinton representative, the university stands by Kavanaugh and the Antonin Scalia Law School’s decision to hire him.
The school made it clear that they will not bend to protesters when officials spoke at a town hall.
The university does not deny the sexual assault allegations against him, but it says to reverse the decision would ruin the “integrity of the university.”
“Even if the outcome is painful,” the school’s president, Angel Cabrera, told students at the town hall event, “what’s at stake is very, very important for the integrity of the university.”
“Even if in this particular case the outcome is one that you deeply disagree with, the process by which these decisions are made and the reason why we are so firm in defending them is actually essential to the way a university like ours operates,” Cabrera continued.
Provost David Wu echoed Cabrera’s sentiments, saying it was the law school’s choice to hire Kavanaugh and that he saw “no reason for university administrators to override” their decision.
For far too long, universities have allowed the animals to run the zoo. Countless examples of 18-to-21-year-old students screaming, crying, and yelling have resulted in campus policy changes for the worse. Finally, a university stands up to hysterical protesters.
George Mason University is right to stand by its decision and allow Kavanaugh to teach this summer. Having a Supreme Court justice teach at the law school will greatly enrich the law school’s program and its offerings to law students. Those who are disinterested in having Kavanaugh on the campus as a lecturer simply should not sign up for his class. Kavanaugh is actually teaching the summer course in England, so the vast majority of those upset about Kavanaugh are studying different majors on a different campus.
Furthermore, Kavanaugh has vigorously rejected the accusation that he sexually assaulted anyone and has not been proven guilty under any circumstances. The university’s hiring of Kavanaugh was based on the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The mob outrage against Kavanaugh did not bar him from serving on the Supreme Court, and it certainly should not keep him from teaching a single class.
By rejecting the false outrage students produce from political talking points, the university remains in control to do what’s best for the institution. They have set the standard for good governance of the university by backing the decisions made by those they put in charge — in this case, the law school. This sets the precedent that yelling, screaming, and organizing for a frivolous complaint won’t shake solid, rational decisions.
Kudos to George Mason. Perhaps more institutions of higher education will follow suit.
Alexander James is a contributor to Red Alert Politics and a freelance journalist.
