i think that professor chemerinsky has a brilliant legal mind and to have him as a first dean would have brought national prominence to a brand new law school. he is a nationally known constitutional scholar and to axe him because he was perceived as "too liberal" is just outrageous!
perhaps professor chemerinsky should go to ucla. he and professor catherine fisk (his wife) could teach at ucla. it would be a nice point-counterpoint between professors chemerinsky (the supposed liberal) and eugene volokh (the supposed conservative).
speaking of professor volokh, his blog shows that a couple of his bloggers are just as outraged at the canning of professor chemerinsky.
professor volokh, states that
It is generally not proper, for instance, to refuse to appoint a professor because he's too controversial; but it may well be proper to avoid deans who are lightning rods for criticism, or likely to run into trouble with the Legislature or with others.
The example I give is Dean Ken Starr of Pepperdine. If he wanted to move to UCLA, I'd be delighted -- but, if the faculty, the administration, or the Regents opposed such an appointment on the grounds that he'd be too controversial, and the controversy would get in the way of his effectiveness, I would not condemn their position as a breach of academic freedom, or of the First Amendment.
another professor at ucla law, professor bainbridge, is outraged by uci's action.
uci, i think, majorly screwed this one up.
so professor chemerinsky (and professor fisk), if you are reading this, forget uci (and duke).... move back to southern california and please go to ucla!!!!
ucla, please extend an offer to professor chemerinsky -- you already had him as a visiting professor in the 90s -- why not offer him a tenured position? it'd be good to balance his views with those of professors volokh and bainbridge!
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