Bloomberg Law
June 14, 2019, 5:55 PM UTCUpdated: June 14, 2019, 7:52 PM UTC

Fired Black Law Professor May Sue D.C. Law School (1)

Julie Steinberg
Julie Steinberg
Reporter
Paige Smith
Paige Smith
Reporter

University of the District of Columbia trustees must face race bias and breach-of-contract claims by a black law professor who was denied tenure and fired. A federal appeals court found that academic institutions shouldn’t receive special treatment under anti-discrimination laws.

The university said it denied Kemit Mawakana tenure because his scholarship was deficient, and a federal trial court granted judgment for the board of trustees.

But a jury could find race was a motivating factor in the university’s decision to deny him tenure, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said June 14.

Tenure decisions don’t ...

Learn more about Bloomberg Law or Log In to keep reading:

Learn About Bloomberg Law

AI-powered legal analytics, workflow tools and premium legal & business news.

Already a subscriber?

Log in to keep reading or access research tools.