University of Mississippi asks judge to dismiss lawsuit over staffer fired for Charlie Kirk posts
A former University of Mississippi executive assistant claims her firing over social media posts violated her free speech rights at the public university.
University officials argue her conduct disrupted campus operations and justified termination.
A University of Mississippi official has requested the dismissal of a lawsuit alleging he violated a staff member’s First Amendment rights.
The university fired the staff member after she reposted social media comments calling Charlie Kirk a white supremacist and “reimagined Klan member.”
Lauren Stokes, the former executive assistant to the vice chancellor, reposted a commentary to her private Instagram account in early September, labeling Charlie Kirk a “yt supremacist” and “reimagined Klan member” the day after his assassination.
[RELATED: FAU reinstates professor suspended over Charlie Kirk posts]
“I have no prayers to offer Kirk or respectable statements against violence,” the post concludes.
Chancellor Glenn Boyce fired Stokes on Sept. 14, saying she had “re-shared hurtful, insensitive comments on social media regarding the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk.”
“These comments run completely counter to our institutional values of civility, fairness, and respecting the dignity of each person,” he said.
Stokes subsequently sued Boyce and the university for violating her First Amendment right to free speech. The University of Mississippi is a public institution.
On Dec. 10, Boyce requested that the lawsuit be dismissed on the basis that Stokes’s own complaint acknowledges the workplace disruption her repost caused.
“Immediately after her social media post went viral, the Plaintiff and the University realized that Plaintiff could not perform her job responsibilities, and the University concluded that her continued employment would inevitably disrupt the University’s operations,” Boyce’s motion says.
The motion further notes that Stokes says she “received harassing phone calls and emails, including death threats, nonstop for days.”
“In fact, Plaintiff so feared for her safety that she left town and closed her restaurant for two weeks,” it says. “The University, however, could not close and escape like Plaintiff did when the disruption spilled over to the University. Thus, the University made the best decision under these dire circumstances: terminate Plaintiff’s employment and prevent the disruption faced by Plaintiff from further manifesting on campus.”
“Because Plaintiff’s operative complaint does not plausibly plead that her interest in speaking outweighed the University’s interest in maintaining an efficient workplace, this Court should dismiss her Amended Complaint,” it continues.
Other professors and university employees also faced disciplinary action or job loss, following insensitive comments about Kirk’s death.
Two professors at East Tennessee State University resigned after their comments about Kirk. “This isn’t a tragedy,” one said. “It’s a victory.”
Montana State University–Northern reinstated a professor in November after initially placing her on administrative leave for calling Kirk a “misogynistic, racist, homophobic, xenophobic a--hole.”
Campus Reform contacted the University of Mississippi, Chancellor Glenn Boyce, and Lauren Stokes for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
