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Orange Coast College: Suspension of Professor Without a Hearing for Political Science Lecture

At Orange Coast College, days after the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks Professor Kenneth W. Hearlson, a professor of contemporary politics, invited all students to join him in a discussion of the recent terrorist attacks. During the event Hearlson argued that silence on crimes against Jews in the Middle East was consent to terrorism. Several Muslim students complained that Professor Hearlson had called them terrorists, but that accusation was belied by the existence of a full audiotape recording of the class. Nevertheless, without even a formal charge or a hearing, OCC President Margaret A. Gratton promptly ordered Professor Hearlson off the campus. Faced with the sunlight of media coverage and the scrutiny of public opinion after FIRE launched a media campaign for the school's blatant violation of the First Amendment, OCC begrudgingly announced Professor Hearlson's reinstatement to his classroom in December—three months after his punishment and suspension began.

Case Materials

• "The Bell Tolls for Orange Coast College's Margaret Gratton: Not the Liberty Bell!," March 15, 2002: Orange Coast College announced recently that Margaret Gratton would retire from her post as president this coming summer. During her tenure, President Gratton displayed a reckless disregard for her moral and legal obligations to academic freedom and to due process.
• "Orange Coast College President Margaret Gratton Retires," March 4, 2002: Margaret A. Gratton, Orange Coast College's president for the past six years, announced Monday (March 4) her intention to retire at the end of the 2001-02 academic year.
• "FIRE Letter to Orange Coast College President Margaret Gratton, November 19, 2001," November 19, 2001
• "FIRE Letter to Orange Coast College President Margaret Gratton, October 5, 2001," October 5, 2001
• "Petition to Reinstate Mr. Hearlson," October 1, 2001

Media Coverage

• "Seebach: Yet Another Recruit to the Cause of Academic Freedom,"
  by Linda Seebach, Rocky Mountain News, August 24, 2002
• "Correctness Crack-Up,"
  by Christopher Jolma and Stephen Goode, Insight Magazine, February 25, 2002
• "Is Free Speech Free Again?,"
  by David Orland, Boundless.org, January 10, 2002
• "The Faculty's Fight Against Freedom,"
  by Jonathan Last, Independent Media Center, January 1, 2002
• "Pro or Con War Talk's Risky on Campus,"
  by Tom Mashberg, The Boston Herald, December 16, 2001
• "OCC Professor Reinstated but Issue Remains; Free speech,"
  by William Lobdell, Los Angeles Times, December 12, 2001
• "OCC Professor Cleared of Students' Charges,"
  by Deirdre Newman, Daily Pilot, December 12, 2001
• "Nation Watching Battle at Orange Coast College; Free Speech: Instructor in Trouble Over Remarks to Muslim Students May Learn his Fate Today,"
  by William Lobdell, Los Angeles Times, December 11, 2001
• "Tiny Mob, a Big Injustice,"
  by Al Knight, The Denver Post, December 5, 2001
• "Radio Interview with Ina Jaffee (Halvorssen),"
  NPR's Morning Edition, December 3, 2001
• "Speech Under Fire,"
  by Steven Greenhut, The Orange County Register, December 2, 2001
• "Acute Lesson in Political Science,"
  by Michelle Malkin, The Washington Times, December 1, 2001
• "Interview with Kenneth Hearlson,"
  Fox News's Hannity & Colmes, November 30, 2001
• "Investigation into OCC Professor's Comments nears End,"
  by Deidre Newman, Daily Pilot, November 27, 2001
• "Academics and Muslims Await Results of Probe,"
  by William Lobdell, Los Angeles Times, November 26, 2001
• "New Battles in Old War Over Freedom of Speech,"
  by Diana Schemo, The New York Times, November 25, 2001
• "Academic Freedoms Erode Since the Attacks,"
  by Marla Fisher, The Orange County Register, November 8, 2001
• "LI Colleges Committed to Free Speech,"
  by Olivia Winslow, Newsday, November 7, 2001
• "Suppression of Speech on Campus (Web exclusive),"
  by Michael Barone, US News & World Report, November 6, 2001
• "The Death of Free Speech in Higher Ed,"
  by Andrea Neal, The Indianapolis Star, October 31, 2001
• "Dissenters Find Colleges Less Tolerant of Discord Following Attacks,"
  by Michael Fletcher, The Washington Post, October 30, 2001
• "War on Terrorism: Campus Critics of US Policy Barraged with Hate Mail,"
  The Providence Journal, October 21, 2001
• "US University Staff Punished for Voicing Opinions,"
  The Guardian, October 19, 2001
• "Liberty Group Defends Orange Coast Professor,"
  by Marla Fisher, The Orange County Register, October 16, 2001
• "College Faculty, Staff Find Chilling New Climate for Free Speech on Campus,"
  by Arlene Levinson, The Associated Press, October 13, 2001
• "Terrorist Attacks Put Academic Freedom to the Test,"
  by Ana Cox and Robin Wilson, The Chronicle of Higher of Education, October 5, 2001
• "Tasteless Talk and Terrorism; Free Speech Even Applies to Attacks on Apple Pie,"
  by Suzanne Fields, The Washington Times, October 4, 2001
• "Campus Hawks and Doves Find Speech is Not So Free,"
  by Andrea Billups, The Washington Times, October 1, 2001
• "College's Incendiary Topic is Terror; Education: Orange Coast is an Academic-Freedom Test Case, with Muslims Angry and Teacher on Leave,"
  by William Lobdell, Los Angeles Times, September 30, 2001
• "Teacher's Terrorism Remarks Stir Academic Debate,"
  by William Lobdell, Los Angeles Times, September 30, 2001