New York (AP) – The United States Military Academy in West Point is prohibiting the opinions of teachers in the classroom and some books and courses in a repression that violates the first amendment, said a law teacher at the Military School in a lawsuit on Monday seeking the state of class action.
Tim Bakken filed the lawsuit at the Federal Court of Manhattan and appointed school and its leaders as defendants. He said he wants to protect freedom of expression and the right to academic freedom in an institution where he has flourished despite his public criticisms to the American academy and army.
Bakken also pointed out in the demand that a contract with an editor for a book that is critical of some aspects of West Point and does not want to seek the approval of school leadership before publication because “it is very likely that such approval is retained.”
The lawsuit seeks the state of class action for the members of the Civil Faculty of West Point, which is believed to be more than 100 individuals, and a court order to stop the restrictions of freedom of expression, together with non -specified damage and legal fees.
Bakken’s demand said the school began to analyze the speech of the Faculty after an executive order in January of President Donald Trump to “carefully review the leadership, the curriculum and instructors of the United States Services Academies and other academic defense institutions.”
In February, the West Point Military Academy issued a policy that prevents the members of the Faculty from using the “affiliation or brand” of schools in relation to any public comments or writings without the approval of the Academy, said the demand. The demand said that the policy was to “control, cool and suppress the speech of the faculty.”
The lawsuit said the academy in spring withdrew books from its library, eliminated words and phrases from the programs of the members of the Faculty, eliminated courses and specialties and threatened or punished the members of the Faculty for teaching, speaking and writing without the previous approval of the school.
During the summer, the Academy eliminated information about books, articles, essays and published scholarships of the members of the faculty of all members of the Faculty on the school website, said the demand. He also ordered the instructors not to express opinions in the classroom, he said.
“As a law professor, the applicant’s inability to express opinions on the issue taught is suffocating and harmful to the educational process,” said the demand. He added that he could no longer express to students if an important or dissident opinion is persuasive and why.
The Military Academy did not immediately respond a request for comments.
Bakken, civil professor of law in the Department of Law and Philosophy of the Academy during the last 25 years, is the oldest law professor in the history of West Point and has written extensively, including books, articles and essays, along with appearances in podcasts, radio and television, the demand said.
According to the lawsuit, he traveled with American soldiers to Kabul in 2007 during the war in Afghanistan and created the Law Department of the National Military Academy of Afghanistan.
He seeks the state of class action for the faculty of West Point and a court order to stop the restrictions on freedom of expression.
(Tagstotranslate) American Military Academy (T) Class Action State (T) Teachers (T) Law Professor (T) Restrictions on Freedom of Expression (T) Tim Bakken
Source link