“Web of Lies”
Over the summer the Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis, the school I currently attend, made national headlines when a professor accused another professor of opposing his tenure because of conservative views. Prof. William Bradford claimed that his support of the Iraq War and his refusal to sign a letter in defense of Ward Churchill upset Prof. Florence Roisman, who he then alleges oppsed his tenure. Fox News and Front Page magazine, among others, caught wind and turned it into a national discussion. In June of this year Inside Higher Ed published an article titled “Not the Right Kind of Indian” which, in my opinion, best sums up the state of affairs at that time.
Recent developments have returned the issue to the forefront and Inside Higher Ed once again has the best coverage, this time in an article titled “Web of Lies.” Because Prof. Roisman had a history of controversial actions in the past, his claims initially raised eyebrows. Some of you may remember that she infamously demanded the removal of a Christmas tree in the law school’s atrium because of its Christian connotations, an incident later highlighted in Fox News anchor John Gibson’s book, “The War on Christmas.” Bradford’s own record bolstered his claims as well; he was a self-proclaimed Gulf War veteran and he had previously won a “Best New Professor” award from the student body.
But as the law school blog I founded – IndyLaw Net – covered the charges, serious questions started to arise. Bradford would frequent the comment boxes in a surprisingly “uncollegial” manner, making sweeping charges and threats. The blog’s current editor-in-chief, Lucas Sayre, also noticed from Bradford’s IP address that he would leave comments supporting his position and attacking others under falsly assumed names.
As Bradford slowly chipped away at his own credibility, readers started to do the same. Retired Army Lt. Col. Keith R. Donnelly contacted Indianapolis Star columnist Ruth Holladay and said that Bradford’s claim of having earned a Silver Star in the Gulf War was suprising because very few had been awarded. That wasn’t all Bradford professed. He claims to have served in the infantry and military intelligence during Desert Storm and Bosnia conflicts, that he eventually became a major in Special Forces, and was awarded the prestigious Silver Star. He even wore a Silver Star lapel pin around campus and had a major’s gold-leaf insignia plate on his vehicle.
After some research it turned out Bradford was actually in the Army Reserve and that he was discharged as a second lieutenant. He had no active duty, was not in the infantry, and received no awards, especially not the Silver Star. Taken altogether, it seems hard to believe a shred of the charges he initially leveled at Roisman and others.
As Prof. Eugene Volokh wrote today, it’s unlikely that Bradford will be able to find a job teaching law in the U.S. any time soon, and rightfully so. But more than hurt himself, Professor William Bradford has also tarnished the law school and the image of academic conservatives.
