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WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) – George Washington University (GWU) refused to let leftist students pressure it into firing Justice Clarence Thomas from an adjunct law professor role.

Leftist students demanded GWU fire Thomas because of his vote to reverse Roe v. Wade and allow states to pass their own laws restricting abortion. He also argued in a concurring opinion that the Supreme Court should revisit past rulings on sodomy, same-sex “marriage,” and contraception.

The petition stated:

With the recent Supreme Court decision that has stripped the right to bodily autonomy of people with wombs, and with his explicit intention to further strip the rights of queer people and remove the ability for people to practice safe sex without fear of pregnancy, it is evident that the employment of Clarence Thomas at George Washington University is completely unacceptable.

Jon Kay, an undergraduate student at GWU, started the petition.

“Since the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, we have heard from members of our community who have expressed feelings of deep disagreement with this decision,” GWU Provost Christopher Bracey and Georgetown Law School Dean Dayna  Matthew wrote via email to the GWU community.

“Justice Thomas has been a consistent critic of the Court’s legal philosophy on substantive due process for many years,” the email stated.

It continued:

Because we steadfastly support the robust exchange of ideas and deliberation, and because debate is an essential part of our university’s academic and educational mission to train future leaders who are prepared to address the world’s most urgent problems, the university will neither terminate Justice Thomas’ employment nor cancel his class in response to his legal opinions.

“Justice Thomas’ views do not represent the views of either the George Washington University or its Law School,” the email stated. “Additionally, like all faculty members at our university, Justice Thomas has academic freedom and freedom of expression and inquiry.”

Liberal-leaning GWU Law Professor Jonathan Turley thanked his school for not taking against Thomas.

“Rather than yield to another cancel campaign, GWU has stood firm on its values of free speech and academic freedom,” he tweeted.

“As stated earlier, I hope that Justice Thomas understands that there are many at GWU who are deeply appreciative of his sharing his time and views with our students,” he wrote.

“The GW petition reflects a growing intolerance and orthodoxy that is sweeping across universities,” Turley said in further comments to the Washington Examiner. “It is gratifying to see GW standing firm on free speech and academic freedom. Yet the rising intolerance on America’s campuses will not be halted until faculty and students affirmatively fight for greater diversity of viewpoints and values.”

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