Identity of Speakers
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Stephen Porter
Student
OtherStephen Porter is a professor who teaches statistics at NC State.
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Lawsuit
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Incident Political Orientation:
Right wing -
Incident Responses:
Faculty sanctioned
Litigation
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Incident Status:
Dismissed
- Did not involve Speech Codes
Summary
Stephen Porter, a professor at North Carolina State University, filed a suit against the University, claiming First Amendment retaliation. Porter has been vocal in criticizing the University for its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies; he has also written in his blog post that the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) has become a “woke joke.” NCSU assigned him an extra course to teach, and he was excluded from advising doctoral students through a ban to enter certain”program area.”
In June 2022, the district court dismissed Porter’s claim. In July 2023, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed, holding that since Porter was speaking as a public employee, NC State could discipline him on speech, and the First Amendment would only protect his academic freedom, namely while teaching classes or discussing topics related to his studies. The Supreme Court has denied Porter’s petition.
