UC Irvine Gets an "F" for Academic Freedom

[UPDATE: UC Irvine has indeed rehired Professor Chemerinsky. Kudos to UCI chancellor Michael Drake for doing the right thing.]

Today, as UC Irvine officials consider attempting to rehire Professor Erwin Chemerinsky as dean of its nascent law school, ACLU Legal Director Steve Shapiro penned his thoughts on the issue in The Huffington Post:

This is not the first time in American history that politics rather than academic merit appear to have driven a university's appointment decision, but it is not a happy history. When a public university is involved, the threat to academic freedom and First Amendment values is especially grave.

Steve joins an esteemed list of legal scholars, editorial boards and others across the political spectrum who criticized the school's decision to rescind the job offer last week.