Meriwether Case of Administration Persecution
ADF Summary
The ADF summary says "Dr. Nicholas Meriwether has spent more than two decades as a philosophy professor at Shawnee State University in southern Ohio, where he has focused his scholarship and teaching on the intersection of philosophy, ethics, religion, and political theory. During a political philosophy class he was teaching, Professor Meriwether responded to a male student’s question by saying, “Yes, sir.” Professor Meriwether responded in this fashion because he refers to all his students as “sir” or “ma’am” or by a title (Mr. or Miss, for example) followed by their last name to foster an atmosphere of seriousness and mutual respect. After the class, the student approached Professor Meriwether, stated that he was transgender, and demanded that the professor refer to him as a woman, with feminine titles and pronouns. When Meriwether did not instantly agree, the student became belligerent, circling around Meriwether and getting in his face in a threatening fashion while telling him, “Then I guess this means I can call you a c**t.” Before walking away, the student promised to get Meriwether fired if he did not agree to the student’s demands. Although Professor Meriwether offered to use any name the student preferred, the university was not willing to accept that compromise, choosing instead to force the professor to speak and act contrary to his own Christian convictions. A lower court affirmed the university’s actions, prompting Alliance Defending Freedom Attorneys to appeal the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit."
Documents
- The Complaint, S. Dist. Ohio (February 5, 2019).
- Motion to Intervene, S. Dist. Ohio (May 9, 2019, M.J. Litkovitz) This is interesting as a long opinion granting a contested motion to intervene. It does not address whether the intervenor has the right to remain anonymous as "Doe".
- 6th Circuit appellate opinion (March 26, 2021, Thapar, J.)
- District Court Order Adopting Report and Recommendation, S. Dist. Ohio (February 12, 2020, Dlott, J.).
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