Commentary: Firing a Professor for 'Left-Wing' Views Is Unconstitutional

June 09, 2023 1 min read

By Emma Camp
Reason Magazine

Excerpt: On Tuesday, conservative activist and New College of Florida trustee Christopher Rufo announced that the college had declined to renew a visiting professor's contract because of his purportedly "left-wing" views.

While Rufo hailed the ouster as a victory for the "classical liberal arts tradition," he didn't seem to realize that it was also likely a violation of the First Amendment. "It is a privilege, not a right, to be employed by a taxpayer-funded university. New College will no longer be a jobs program for middling, left-wing intellectuals," he added. "We are reviving the great classical liberal arts tradition and setting a new standard for public education."

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