Just days after the University of Arkansas announced the appointment of Emily Suski as the next dean of the School of Law, administrators reversed their decision due to “feedback from key external stakeholders.”
According to a report from the Arkansas Advocate, the abrupt revocation of Suski’s offer follows complaints from several lawmakers regarding her legal position on transgender athletes. Suski, professor and associate dean at the University of South Carolina’s Joseph F. Rice School of Law, had been one of 17 law professors who signed a brief defending transgender students’ rights to play on the teams of their gender identity. The brief was filed before the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I am disappointed and hurt by the university’s decision to rescind my contract,” Suski said in an email to the Arkansas Advocate. “I have been informed that the decision was not in any way a reflection of my qualifications to serve as dean, but rather the result of influence from external individuals. Questions concerning that feedback are best directed to the University of Arkansas.”
Arkansas Senate President Pro Tempore Bart Hester was one of the lawmakers who voiced his objection to Suski’s appointment. He stated, “There’s no way the people of Arkansas want somebody running and educating our next generation of lawyers and judges [to be] someone that doesn’t understand the difference between a man and a woman.”
While several other Republican lawmakers agree with Hester, some Democrats and advocacy groups have publicly condemned the university’s decision.
In an Instagram post, Representative Nicole Clowney, who serves as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Arkansas School of Law, stated, “Many of you are asking me about today’s action regarding the newly hired dean of the U of A Law School. I am still gathering information, but based on what I’ve learned so far, it seems clear that what happened is a horrifying, unprecedented, and absolutely unconstitutional abuse of state power.”
Will Creeley, legal director of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, stated, “The University of Arkansas’ shameful capitulation to political pressure betrays its commitment to Professor Suski and threatens the rights of all who teach, study, and work there. The message to every dean, professor, and researcher is unmistakable: Your job hinges on whether politicians approve of your views.”