Amy Wax, the Ivy League law professor suspended for making racist, sexist, and inflammatory comments, stands to lose half a million dollars from her punishment.
Wax said she doesn’t regret the remarks that led to her reprimand and is considering legal action.
“I only regret that I am sufficiently frank and blunt and forthright,” Wax said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “I stand by what I say because it is so much more nuanced and interesting than the sound bites they have lifted.”
Accused of Racism
Among the many comments flagged by the University of Pennsylvania: “As long as most Asians support Democrats and help to advance their positions, I think the United States is better off with fewer Asians and less Asian immigration.” She also has said that “on average, Blacks have lower cognitive ability than whites.”
The Professor is accused of racism. Professor Wax says it’s free speech.
Wax received a medical degree from Harvard Medical School before deciding she wasn’t suited to be a practicing physician. Dr. Wax went on to receive a law degree from Columbia Law School. She argued 15 cases before the Supreme Court as an assistant to the U.S. solicitor general before turning to academia.
The Professor joined Penn as a tenured law professor in 2001. She is teaching one course this semester.
Wax said conservative professors like herself face hurdles. Only certain conservative viewpoints are tolerated, such as some libertarian views, while others are off-limits. On immigration, she said, professors can’t talk about “the third-worldization of our country, the loss of our culture.”
“That kind of talk is xenophobia,” Wax said. “It marks you out as an evil bad person.”
Her suspension sends a message to other conservatives on campus to keep quiet, she said, conflicting with academic freedom and a call for diversity of thought.
After years of complaints from students and alumni, Theodore Ruger, who was dean of the law school at the time, requested in 2022 a review by a five-member board of tenured faculty to determine whether Wax violated university standards. The panel found that Wax engaged in flagrant, unprofessional conduct. J. Larry Jameson, interim president of Penn, accepted the final decision last month.
The Black Law Students Association at Penn has called for her termination.
What do you think?
Subscribe to the Daily Newsletter
wpDiscuz
