SUNY Fredonia still does not want to let philosopher Stephan Kershnar (earlier coverage) back on campus, arguing in court that "the potential unseen threat from some lone 'pseudo warrior' quietly planning a violent attack on campus – triggered by Kershnar’s return" justifies excluding him:
Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Metzger Kimura, representing the university, said the university’s decision to bar him from campus was not made because of the content of his speech but in response to the aftermath of his podcast comments that kicked off a social-media firestorm and disrupted operations.
But U.S. District Judge Lawrence Vilardo expressed concern about that rationale. With that as a guide, a university could take actions against any professor if enough people got together and raised a big enough fuss over anything the professor said – whether it was innocuous or not. “I think your argument leads to frightening possibilities on college campuses,” Vilardo said.
Hopefully the judge will decide against the university.
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