U.S. Naval Academy: Settles Case with Professor Fleming Involving Criticism of USNA Affirmative Action Policy

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) reports U.S. Naval Academy Settles Complaint With Professor Critical of Its Affirmative Action Policies:

The United States Naval Academy has agreed to a legal settlement with a tenured English professor after a federal investigation uncovered evidence that the Naval Academy violated his First Amendment rights. The professor, Bruce Fleming, had filed a complaint in 2009 with a federal agency, the Office of Special Counsel, claiming that top ranking Naval Academy officials denied him a raise based on his public assertions about the college's race-conscious admissions policies. In a widely circulated newspaper column, Fleming had written that the Naval Academy used an admissions process for minority students that was so much less demanding, it likely violated federal civil rights laws.
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Fleming, who had criticized the college's affirmative action policies for several years, issued a statement after the settlement. According to Fleming, "[t]he reason I felt it important to pursue this issue is to ensure that an institution whose military members swear to uphold the Constitution do not infringe the civilian rights to free expression the military is meant to protect."

Your tax dollars at work.