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Lakeland Community College: Disciplining of Professor for Religious Speech

Lakeland Community College removed a professor of moral philosophy from his classes as punishment for refusing to hide his religious identity from students. The college threatened Dr. James Tuttle, who espouses traditional Catholic beliefs, with dismissal because he made statements on his syllabi and in class that disclosed his religious faith and how that shaped his personal philosophy. He is suing the school in response to its unconstitutional actions. Dr. Tuttle is represented by Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP, with the public campaign to defend Dr. Tuttle's rights coordinated by FIRE, which first brought Dr. Tuttle's case to national attention.

Case Materials

• "Philosophy Professor, Punished for Disclosing Religious Beliefs, Sues College," June 30, 2004: A philosophy professor who was punished for disclosing his religious viewpoint to students has filed suit against Lakeland Community College in Ohio. Professor James Tuttle was disciplined by the administration and later stripped of his classes for making statements on his syllabi and in class lectures that referenced his religious faith and how it shaped his personal philosophy.
• "Philosophy Professor Punished for Expressing Religious Beliefs," February 5, 2004: Lakeland Community College near Cleveland, Ohio, has stripped a philosophy professor of his classes for refusing to hide his religious identity from students. Dr. James Tuttle, a Catholic philosopher, was threatened with dismissal for making statements on his syllabi and in class that disclosed his religious faith and its effect on his views on ethics and philosophy.
• "Tuttle Complaint," February 1, 2004
• "FIRE Letter to Lakeland Community College President Morris W. Beverage, Jr., December 5, 2003," December 5, 2003

Media Coverage

• "Saying He Was Punished for Revealing His Faith, Adjunct Sues Ohio College,"
  by Jamilah Evelyn, Chronicle of Higher Education, July 26, 2004
• "Lawsuit tests religious speech in class,"
  by Randy Dotinga, Christian Science Monitor, July 12, 2004
• "Professor charges anti-Catholic bias,"
  by Deb McCown, The Washington Times, July 8, 2004
• "A Heretic in Academe,"
  by Dorothy Rabinowitz, The Wall Street Journal, March 18, 2004
• "Truth and Consequences,"
  by Matt Kaufman, Boundless Webzine, March 11, 2004
• "Philosophy Prof Punished for Expressing Religious Beliefs,"
  by Jody Brown and Jim Brown, The AgapePress, February 11, 2004
• "Tolerance Counseling,"
  by Scott Norvell, Fox News, February 9, 2004
• "Just Think, the Original Universities Were Created by Catholics...,"
  by Carl Olson, Envoy Magazine, February 8, 2004
• "Traditional Catholic Professor Punished for Teaching Beliefs,"
  , MichNews, February 8, 2004
• "Professor of philosophy in Ohio being punished for letting his beliefs inform his teaching,"
  by Carl Olson, Encore Magazine, February 8, 2004
• "Traditional Catholic Professor Punished for Teaching Beliefs,"
  by J. Swank, MichNews, February 8, 2004
• "College: Prof. not 'removed' for religion,"
  by Lou Marano, United Press International, February 8, 2004
• "Catholic Philosophy Professor Punished for Expressing Religious Beliefs,"
  , LifeSiteNews.com, February 6, 2004
• "Religion in class sparks conflict,"
  by Jennifer Gonzalez, Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio), February 6, 2004
• "Catholic professor punished for views,"
  , WorldNetDaily, February 5, 2004
• "Professor Removed for Saying He's Catholic,"
  , NewsMax, February 5, 2004