A recent lawsuit targeting Northwestern University School of Law has ignited a debate on diversity in faculty hiring. This suit, orchestrated by the Faculty, Alumni, and Students Opposed to Racial Preferences (FASORP), contends that the law school is favoring women and minority candidates at the expense of white male candidates. FASORP’s complaint alleges that Northwestern hires “mediocre” women and racial minorities over more qualified white males. For more details, visit the original report.
The lawsuit, backed by Jonathan Mitchell, the attorney behind the Texas vigilante abortion law, and America First Legal, a group affiliated with Stephen Miller, does not feature specific plaintiffs who have applied for faculty positions. Instead, FASORP claims to represent potential applicants ready to apply for positions at the law school.
Northwestern’s most recent American Bar Association (ABA) filing shows its faculty comprises 135 full-time members, with 23 people of color and 64 women. This statistic indicates that approximately 83 percent of the faculty is white, which significantly overshadows the national demographic where about 58 percent of the population is white, according to an AP report. This disparity prompted the lawsuit, alleging reverse discrimination.
FASORP highlights several specific cases to support its claim, including the instance of UCLA Professor Eugene Volokh who reportedly inquired about a position at Northwestern but did not formally apply. The complaint alleges Dean Dan Rodriguez’s opposition to Volokh was due to his being a white male, although Volokh had not partnered with the plaintiffs. The lawsuit also references other high-profile professors, like Duke’s Ernie Young and ASU’s Ilan Wurman, alleging that more diverse candidates from lower-ranked institutions were preferred over them.
This lawsuit showcases an ongoing controversy surrounding affirmative action and diversity efforts within higher education. Whether FASORP’s legal actions will secure substantive outcomes or merely generate debate remains to be seen.