UCI reportedly working on a deal to rehire Chemerinsky

[Lionel Mandrake]

Source: Los Angeles Times

UC Irvine officials on Friday were attempting to broker a deal to once again hire liberal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky as dean of its fledging law school, just three days after its chancellor set off a national furor by dumping him.

Prominent Orange County attorney Tom Malcolm, a participant in high-level university discussions, said: "I think we are satisfied that if have a meeting, they can come to some understanding, and can become a good dean."An agreement would be an extraordinary development after Chemerinsky contended this week that Drake succumbed to political pressure from conservatives and sacked him because of his outspoken liberal positions. The flap threatened to derail the 2009 opening of the law school and prompted some calls for Drake's resignation.

Drake acknowledged that Chemerinsky had attracted significant opposition from conservatives, but he would not name the people who had contacted him. He said that their complaints were not the cause for his decision to terminate the dean.The criticism included a letter from the California Supreme Court criticizing a Chemerinsky opinion piece in The Times.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-uci15sep15,0,1791213.story?coll=la-home-center

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Here is some background for those of you who don't live in California & haven't been following this story.

The University of California at Irvine (UCI) is in Orange County, the land of conservative Republicans. Academic freedom is not something they worry about.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. They sure don't worry about academic freedom!

They're more likely to worry that anyone has any...

[BuddhaGirl]

3. You've got that right!

n/t

[BuddhaGirl]

2. I saw this story in the SF Chronicle this morning

I was raised in Orange County - the story didnt suprise me at all! :-(

Effin Mike Antonivich! :mad:

[Lionel Mandrake]

5. What didn't surprise you -

the original offer to hire Chemerinsky, the revocation of the offer (after it had been accepted), or the fact that UCI now wants to hire him once again?

Maybe they are worried that Chemerinsky could sue UCI for breach of contract.

[BuddhaGirl]

10. the orginal story - about the offer to Chemerinsky

being revoked.

Sorry about the confusion!

[Lionel Mandrake]

12. How did conservatives persuade Drake to revoke the offer?

And who are these powerful, shadowy conservatives? Chancellor Drake refuses to say who they are.

[Danmel]

4. I have taken Continuing Legal Education Classes with him

He is extraordinary- a brilliant mind, a keen sense of social justice and a seemingly very gentle and down to earth man. I take a supreme Court Review class with him every year for CLE credits and learn so much from listening to him- he is always open to questions and is just so incredibly bright.


I wish him the best at UC Irvine- though I fear that will be the end of him teaching these classes in NY- California's a lot further away than North Carolina, where he is presently at DUke/

[Lionel Mandrake]

7. Also, if Chemerinsky becomes Dean of the new UCI Law School,

he will probably be too busy to teach those CLE classes.

[bemildred]

6. I am going to be really surprised if he has anything more to do with these weasels.

If you read down in the Times article you can see exactly what sort of witchhunt was mounted against him. The State Chief Justice really embarassed himself.

[Lionel Mandrake]

8. Chancellor Drake embarrassed himself, too.

Still, everything Chemerinsky has said indicates that he really wants the job.

[bemildred]

9. Yes he did. S**t on the floor, he did.

And Chemerinsky is a better man than I am, so maybe he will take it.

[Lionel Mandrake]

11. If Chemerinsky would promise to stop writing op-ed pieces,

then the weasels would be happy. But I don't expect Chemerinsky to make any such promises.

Nor do I expect him to sue for breach of contract, although he would probably win if he did so. That's something the weasels should keep in mind as they negotiate from a very weak position.