Richard W. Painter

Now Available: Principles of the Law, Government Ethics

Now Available: Principles of the Law, Government Ethics.
Professor Richard Briffault and I thank the ALI and all involved with our work on this project.
As federal government ethics implode, state and local governments should take the high road and raise the bar.
www.ali.org/news/article...

Pentagon Pete Backtracks After Qatari Air Base Confusion After triggering a significant backlash, Hegseth took to social media to issue a clarification.

An air force base for Qatar in Idaho?
Is this what the United States is doing in return for the "free" 747 they want to make into a Qatari Air Force One?
www.thedailybeast.com/pete-hegseth...

Here @normeisen.bsky.social, former U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, and son of a Holocaust survivor, weighs in on what is quickly becoming yet another antisemitism scandal at U. Minnesota as extremists here promote a researcher who made a baseless claim defaming a concentration camp prisoner.

Court fines historian over claims of Holocaust survivor's lesbian affair Dr Anna Hájková fined €4,000 amid legal battle brought by daughter of ex-concentration camp prisoner

As someone who has written about the Holocaust, it makes no sense at all to suggest an "affair" between an SS guard & an inmate

The circumstances make that impossible--plus here the family of the prisoner denies any such relationship occurred

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

It's shocking to see the coercive tactics of the federal government to silence speech compared to private citizens' condemnation of speech, for example my condemnation of a racist law professor at Penn and also a journal article on a "contract" for sex with a 10 year old girl.

Richard W. Painter on X: "A man named Brian Leiter, and perhaps others, have blogged about the false rumor that the University of Minnesota intervened about my social media posts. This is the response of the law dean. Freedom of expression is still the norm and the law in Minnesota. https://t.co/VQfSmeTWkT" / X A man named Brian Leiter, and perhaps others, have blogged about the false rumor that the University of Minnesota intervened about my social media posts. This is the response of the law dean. Freedom of expression is still the norm and the law in Minnesota. https://t.co/VQfSmeTWkT

First Amendment rights are in grave danger in our universities, on the airwaves and on social media. We must take a stand. This is how Minnesota's law dean responded when he was told about the false rumor that the University of Minnesota intervened about my social media posts.
x.com/RWPUSA/statu...

NEW

🧵The White House has now issued its first formal legal justification for the lethal attack on a vessel in the Caribbean.

This War Powers report to Congress is long on bluster and short on substance.

This letter does not adequately justify the premeditated killing of apparent civilians. 1/n

Happy Birthday to Peter Golenbock. Although he is best known for his writing about baseball, he clearly understands Trump and his phenomenon.

A lot of people's presidential war powers arguments appear to be based on personal views about the underlying conflict (Israel vs. Iran) as opposed to the Constitution. How many people who support military action now would do so if Trump were to attack China, Russia or some other country?

A lot of people's presidential war powers arguments appear to be based on personal views about the underlying conflict (Israel vs. Iran) as opposed to the Constitution. How many people who support military action now would do so if Trump were to attack China, Russia or some other country?

Opinion | Why Trump didn’t have to ask Congress before striking Iran It has been presidential practice for decades to unilaterally undertake similar military action.

I strongly disagree with this.
Only Congress can declare war under the Constitution.
This op-ed makes the "everyone does it" argument for military action without consent of Congress.
What next? An attack on China to protect Taiwan?
Congress must consent.
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

We'll have academic freedom at U. Minnesota when a music professor has as much right to criticize musicians who collaborated with Hitler as professors elsewhere in the University have to criticize the United States and Israel. Our AAUP chapter supports propaganda not academic freedom.

We'll have academic freedom at U. Minnesota when a music professor has as much right to criticize musicians who collaborated with Hitler as professors elsewhere in the University have to criticize the United States and Israel. Our AAUP chapter supports propaganda not academic freedom.

This isn't just about Israel. As I testified before the Minnesota Senate, revisionist history of the Nazi era is on the upswing. A tenured music professor was threatened with discipline after she criticized Hitler's favorite Berlin Philharmonic conductor. www.lrl.mn.gov/archive/minu...

This isn't just about Israel. As I testified before the Minnesota Senate, revisionist history of the Nazi era is on the upswing. A tenured music professor was threatened with discipline after she criticized Hitler's favorite Berlin Philharmonic conductor. www.lrl.mn.gov/archive/minu...

Can Academic Freedom Survive the AAUP? The organization’s new policies imperil the sector they’re supposed to protect.

More on the politicization of the AAUP from Tom Ginsburg, a left leaning professor at U. Chicago. Even he has had too much. AAUP leaders do not stand for academic freedom (unless you agree with them).
www.chronicle.com/article/can-...

AAUP is an extremist organization and has no credibility in this fight. At U. Minnesota, an AAUP chapter leader secretly tried to get a tenured professor fired or retired for reporting sexual harassment and disagreeing with colleagues on Title VI. National AAUP leaders say they don't care.

Can Academic Freedom Survive the AAUP? The organization’s new policies imperil the sector they’re supposed to protect.

More on the politicization of the AAUP from Tom Ginsburg, a left leaning professor at U. Chicago. Even he has had too much. AAUP leaders do not stand for academic freedom (unless you agree with them).
www.chronicle.com/article/can-...

AAUP is an extremist organization and has no credibility in this fight. At U. Minnesota, an AAUP chapter leader secretly tried to get a tenured professor fired or retired for reporting sexual harassment and disagreeing with colleagues on Title VI. National AAUP leaders say they don't care.

When the federal government is accusing universities of violating free speech, false accusations must be exposed. No administrator at U. Minnesota has ever intervened to influence my public statements or suggested that any of my social media posts violate a policy.

When the federal government is accusing universities of violating free speech, false accusations must be exposed. No administrator at U. Minnesota has ever intervened to influence my public statements or suggested that any of my social media posts violate a policy.

This post by Brian Leiter is a lie. No U of M administrator has "intervened" about my social media posts. Nobody here questioned my honesty although some (left and right) disagree with my politics. This accusation of censorship by our University is false.
leiterlawschool.typepad.com/leiter/2024/...

Your University of Minnesota chapter leaders write secret letters to administrators trying to get tenured colleagues retired or fired for exposing sexual harassment and antisemitism. Too many AAUP chapters want "academic freedom for me but not for thee." Zero credibility.

U. of Minnesota AAUP conspired to get a tenured professor removed from her position for filing Title VI and XI complaints, and then covered it up. They then attacked her in the press for objecting to antisemitism. AAUP does nothing about rogue chapters. They do not support academic freedom.

Indeed. At least the AAUP chapter leaders in Minnesota try to get colleagues terminated for disagreeing with them, filing Title IX complaints, etc.

It's one thing to disagree with the ADL definition of antisemitism. It's quite another to attack the organization itself, as the UMN AAUP chapter did. It's also wrong to write secret letters to deans trying to get colleagues fired for filing Title VI and Title IX complaints. Unacceptable.

The issue has been reported to the U.S. Department of Education. A UMN AAUP chapter leader joined a secret letter seeking to get a tenured colleague removed over her Title VI and Title IX complaints and then attacked her in the press over her stand against antisemitism. That's not academic freedom.

Your U of Minnesota chapter attacks the Anti-Defamation League, one of the oldest civil rights organizations in America. AAUP leaders write secret letters to deans trying to get tenured professors transferred or forced into retirement for disagreeing with colleagues. Our AAUP chapter is a disgrace.

Won't help when you also attack the Anti-Defamation League, one of the oldest civil rights organizations in America. Your leaders write secret letters to CLA deans trying to get tenured professors transferred or forced into retirement for disagreeing with colleagues. This AAUP chapter is a disgrace.