Image: Some students and faculty at the University of Pennsylvania have been clamoring for years for the ouster of Amy Wax, the polarizing law professor who courted scandal with incendiary and racist remarks and writings and seemed to relish the resulting controversies. Despite the repeated calls for her removal from her tenured position, and the criticisms of her actions—including by university leaders—that followed each controversy, Wax remained in the position and seemed firmly protected by free speech and academic freedom rights.
That pattern may be about to change: the dean of the Penn law school has started a process that could lead to Wax’s termination.
Last month, he sent a 12-page letter to the chair of the Faculty Senate in which he said, “Although imposing sanctions on a faculty member of the University of Pennsylvania is a ‘rare event,’ Wax’s continuous violations of university standards, the increasingly negative impact her conduct has had