A jury is deliberating in the case of a prospective law professor who is suing the University of Iowa for being denied two teaching positions because of her pro-life, traditional marriage views.
Robert Shibley of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) tells OneNewsNow that despite her exemplary teaching record, Teresa Wagner was denied two positions for which she was more than qualified. She claims her association with the National Right to Life Committee and Family Research Council is the reason.
"There's certainly been a lot of suggestion over the years that colleges are engaging in politically-based hiring -- a suggestion that's bolstered by surveys that come out, one after another, that suggest that Democrats or liberals far outweigh the number of conservatives," Shibley notes.
But there have not been many lawsuits against this type of discrimination because they can be difficult to prove, says Shibley.
"Universities have a lot of leeway to hire the people they want, and so there really aren't and haven't been very many lawsuits of this nature," the FIRE spokesman explains. "So it'll be interesting to see how this one comes out."
In its defense, the university claims it bypassed Wagner for the positions because she refused to teach a certain class specified in the job descriptions.
Associated Press reports that jurors returned to the federal courthouse in Davenport earlier this week to continue considering whether Wagner's constitutional rights have been violated.