Remarkably, Ward Churchill won his wrongful termination suit, at least at the trial level. Churchill was fired by the University of Colorado following his remarks about the September 11 attack. After the fact, the University uncovered evidence showing Churchill was a pretty poor scholar -- plagiarism and the like -- and tried to dress up the firing with that set of clothes. But it was political. After all, if plagiarism won't get someone fired from Harvard, why should it be enough for Colorado? An unfortunate aspect is that Churchill is an unattractive plaintiff, he is sanctimonious and a poor political thinker. The jury gave him only $1 in damages, which tells you a good deal. The judge has yet to decide whether Churchill will be re-instated.
He is a good test for commitment to academic freedom and integrity, or one of a couple. Yoo is another good test, and there is the Harvard plagiarists. Rubbermaid standards.
Comments