A federal appeals court has enabled Lars Jensen, a tenured math professor at Truckee Meadows Community College, to continue his First Amendment lawsuit regarding alleged retaliation for his speech during a state math summit. Originally dismissed by a District Court, the Ninth Circuit ruled that the college officials couldn't claim immunity against Jensen's claims. Jensen had criticized the college's math standards, arguing they diluted curriculum quality, which was cited as part of his unsatisfactory performance reviews. The court held that the state's actions couldn't outweigh Jensen's rights to free speech in this context.
"We ultimately conclude that the administrators did violate clearly established law," Judge Marsha S. Berzon wrote on the panel's behalf. "The state's interest in punishing a disobedient employee for speaking in violation of their supervisor's orders cannot automatically trump the employee's interest in speaking."
Jensen alleged, among other things, retaliation for First Amendment-protected speech on matters of public concern. Among his demands was that the college remove the negative information from his personnel file.
Collection
[
|
...
]