A RealClearInvestigations article published on October 7 details a handful of examples of how university officials have paid out millions in legal fees to defend “woke” policies.
“As they reel from revenue losses connected to the pandemic, many colleges and universities are racking up other costs not likely to turn up in their glossy brochures or as line items on staggering tuition bills,” Stephen Miller said. These costs are the “untold millions of dollars in legal fees and settlements for allegedly violating the rights of students, professors, and applicants on free speech, admissions and other matters as the schools pursue social justice causes.”
For example, Harvard University has said it anticipates at least $40 million in legal fees to defend its affirmative action system in the courts. Attorneys representing Asian-Americans have alleged the admissions policy illegal discriminates against them.
It’s not just affirmative action that leads to higher costs, it’s also restrictive speech policies.
“Challenges to alleged free-speech violations, which have plagued universities for decades, continue to grow with a heightened grievance culture,” Miller said.
“The University of California San Diego in 2019 paid nearly $1 million after a four-year court fight over its move to defund student media because of a school newspaper piece satirizing ‘safe spaces,’ Miller said.
Administrators have also admitted their policies violate the law, spend millions on legal fees and then ask for more money from taxpayers.
“In some cases, administrators acknowledge that they understand the Constitution, yet insist college speech codes take precedence,” the article said.
“With higher education reeling from the pandemic, schools have imposed hiring freezes, budget cuts and layoffs, while pleading for more state and federal funding, even as they spend money fighting often-preventable lawsuits,” the report says.
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