Paul L. Caron
Dean





Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Arkansas Con Law Prof Sues His Students for Defamation, Claiming They Twisted His Anti-Affirmative Action Views to Accuse Him of Racism

Today's Inside Higher Ed reports that Arkansas-Little Rock Law Prof Richard J. Peltz is suing his students:

Richard J. Peltz is suing two students who are involved in the university’s chapter of the Black Law Student Association, the association itself, and another individual who is affiliated with a black lawyers’ group. Peltz charges them with defamation, saying that his comments about affirmative action were used unfairly to accuse him of racism in a way that tarnished his reputation....

The dispute over Peltz concerns his opposition to affirmative action — and how he expressed it. .... In a memo sent to Charles Goldner, dean of the law school, the students accuse Peltz of engaging in a “rant” about affirmative action, of saying that affirmative action helps “unqualified black people,” of displaying a satirical article from The Onion about the death of Rosa Parks, of allowing a student to give “incorrect facts” about a key affirmative action case, of passing out a form on which he asked for students’ name and race and linking this form to grades, and of denigrating black students in a debate about affirmative action, among other charges.

The student memo said that the organization had “no problem with the difference of opinion about affirmative action,” but that Peltz’s actions were “hateful and inciting speech” and were used “to attack and demean the black students in class.” The black student group demanded that Peltz be “openly reprimanded,” that he be barred from teaching constitutional law “or any other required course where black students would be forced to have him as a professor,” that the university mention in his personnel file that he is unable “to deal fairly with black students,” and that he be required to attend diversity training.

For more, see:

https://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog/2008/04/arkansas-con-la.html

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Richard Peltz, a specialist in media and First Amendment law at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, says he feels like a pariah after two students active in the school's Black Law Students Association made "false... [Read More]

Tracked on Apr 30, 2008 7:28:42 PM

Comments

Awesome blog Paul.Although the language you used was a little technical I was able to get some part of it and the words used were very convincing and I feel a lot more educated today about Racism.
______________________________
Duke Glasgow
Addiction Recovery Arkansas

Posted by: Duke Glasgow | Jun 30, 2008 11:51:01 PM