Watchdog group launches campaign to oust Stanford Law DEI dean that hijacked conservative event

Accuracy in Media (AIM), which through “citizen activism and investigative journalism” exposes “media bias, corruption, and public policy failings,” has sent a mobile billboard to Stanford University, calling for Stanford Law Associate Dean Tirien Steinbach to be fired. 

Images of the media organization’s mobile billboard were obtained by Campus Reform. 

As previously reported, Judge Kyle Duncan’s discussion on “Guns, Covid and Twitter” at Stanford Law School was interrupted by leftist protesters and Steinbach, the university’s Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). 

A video of the incident was posted to Twitter: 

This leftist ideologue paid as an “Assistant DEI Dean” at Stanford who swooped into this room to defend their oppression gospel over squashing these out of control brats from disrupting a federal judge reveals a very serious problem we have in academia.https://t.co/mZiA2mhziU

— Theo Jordan (@Theo_TJ_Jordan) March 12, 2023

Accuracy in Media’s mobile billboards direct individuals to firetirien.com, where they can fill out a form that will “send one message that goes to multiple members of Stanford’s Board of Trustees.”

”Tell them to take a stand for free speech,” reads the site. “And tell them to fire Dean Tirien Steinbach if she refuses to apologize for her actions.” 

Duncan, a United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit judge, is viewed by the dean as a ‘right-wing ideologue.’ 

[RELATED: Stanford admins hijack US judge’s speech, tell students to keep quiet about it]

Steinbach, for example, told Duncan that his work “has caused harm,” likely referring to his pro-life views and for having promoted voter ID laws. 

Having those views, in fact, were reasons that The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a leftist organization, cited were reasons to oppose Duncan’s placement on the Court when he was appointed by former President Trump in 2017. 

AIM’s call to fire Steinbach echoes calls from some members of the student body. 

Campus Reform Correspondent Logan Dubil reported Monday that the Stanford College Republicans are “appalled and disappointed to hear about the disruption” at the judges speech, which was hosted by the law school’s Federalist Society. 

The College Republican’s full statement was posted to Instagram: 

“If you wish to voice your displeasure to the Stanford Dean who aided and abetted fascism on Stanford’s campus, please politely email Tirien Steinbach at her office email” they concluded.

[RELATED: Charlie Kirk threatens legal action against UC Davis Chancellor for slander]

Adam Guillette, President of AIM, says there is little hope that the university will hold Steinbach accountable. 

“We know that higher education isn’t going to hold itself accountable,” he told Campus Reform. “And we certainly know that the state of California isn’t going to hold these people accountable.”

”But at Accuracy in Media, we believe that when people use fascist bullying tactics, they should be held accountable. And that’s where we come in.” 

However, even with the added pressure from both the College Republicans and AIM, Guillette has “zero faith” that Stanford will do something to reprimand Steinbach. 

”As we see time and time again, on college campuses, when professors and administrators engage in bad behavior, they probably get a pat on the back more so than any kind of admonishment,” Guillette said. 

In response to the upstaging, Stanford’s President Marc Tessier-Lavigne and Dean of Stanford Law School Jenny Martinez issued a joint apology, as previously reported. 

The apology to Duncan admitted that Steinbach and other students involved in the upstaging violated Stanford’s policies, writing, “what happened was inconsistent with our policies on free speech.” 

A copy of the apology was posted on Twitter: 

I am pleasantly surprised that Stanford’s President and the Law dean apologized like this.

Not only do they acknowledge that the protests were out of line - they criticize (without specifically naming) the idiotic DEI dean who gave that insane speech. pic.twitter.com/RVUtaPW5Ea

— Maxwell Meyer (@mualphaxi) March 12, 2023

But the apology lost its sincerity when hours after its release, the administrators responsible for disrupting the judge’s speech sent an email to leaders of the law school’s Federalist Society, which hosted the speech, encouraging its members to refrain from posting about the incident on social media.

Reflecting on the email sent to the Federalist Society, Guillette concluded by saying, “I find it entirely predictable.” 

As of now, two mobile billboards have been sent to the area. One is parked on Stanford’s campus, and the other is parked in front of the DEI dean’s home, according to Guillette. 

Campus Reform continues to track developments at Stanford University. 

The university and Steinbach have both been contacted for comment, but have not yet responded. This article will be updated accordingly. 

Follow Jared Gould on Twitter