There’s a split decision in the case of a conservative law professor who sued the University of Iowa law school for discrimination for alleged “liberal bias”.
The jury ruled in favor of the dean of the law school on the claim of poltical bias, but a mistrial was declared on the second count, after the jury could not come to a decision.
The case was heard last week in federal court in Davenport. Late Wednesday afternoon, after two days of deliberating, the jury informed the judge that it was hopelessly deadlocked on the claim of equal protection and would not be able to reach a unanimous verdict.
Teresa Wagner, a staunch Republican who formerly worked as an attorney for the National Right to Life Committee, sued the school’s law dean, Carolyn Jones, claiming she had been passed over for full-time teaching jobs at the university because of her political views.
Wagner testified that she was shocked when she was not hired in favor of a less-qualified candidate, who wound up leaving the school.
Wagner claimed Iowa law school professor Randall Bezanson lead the opposition to her hiring. Bezanson was a former law clerk for U.S Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun when he wrote the Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion in 1973.
Wagner spent much of her career working for organizations opposing abortion rights.
Wagner’s attorney, Steve Fieweger out of Moline, Illinois says he plans to re-try the second count.