Conservative Montana Law Prof Overcomes Bias, Gains Right to Teach Course
by Jim Brown
September 7, 2004
(AgapePress) - A law professor at the University of Montana says he was denied transfer to a constitutional law course because of his conservative political beliefs.Professor Bob Natelson claims administrators not only denied the transfer, but changed the rules in the process. The two-time Republican candidate for governor filed an appeal through the University of Montana system. A hearing officer ruled in his favor, finding that Natelson had been treated unfairly by several professors.
Natelson says the hearing officer did not deal specifically with the issue of political discrimination because he did not have to.
"The law school has not hired a known conservative or libertarian or conservative Christian for many, many years -- in fact, they haven't even hired a known Republican for about 20 years," he adds, noting that the university is beholden to a trial lawyers' association in the state. In addition he says "a lot of the conservative students complain that they feel discriminated against or intimidated in class, that they can't speak their views freely."
The Cornell Law School graduate explains that such discrimination had gone on for eleven years or longer. "I think that at most of these schools, the balance is always going to be fairly liberal -- but the exact balance doesn't matter," he says, explaining that what does matter is that people with conservative views have the right to be at the university and to express those views without fear of retaliation on the job.
"There are many schools where [the environment] is predominantly liberal, but conservatives still have a fair amount of freedom. Unfortunately that hasn't been true here," he says.
Natelson will begin teaching the constitutional law course in the spring. Faculty members opposed to the ruling are seeking a way to appeal.
