Honolulu Civil Beat, Free Speech Group Blasts UH For Censoring Law School Presentation:
For a decade University of Hawaiʻi law instructor Ken Lawson used a simple PowerPoint to teach first-year law students about the legal consequences of a fatal shooting.
Instead of using a generic diagram, Lawson used pictures of real colleagues at UH’s William S. Richardson School of Law to depict the hypothetical crime. The most recent version, which Lawson used in a class last fall, displayed photos of two deans, with Lawson as the accidental victim.
That PowerPoint slide prompted a cascade of objections. An anonymous whistleblower objected to the depiction of violence. UH then deleted the deans’ photos from recorded class material without Lawson’s permission, even though he had violated no law or university policy. Lawson also was barred from using photos of faculty or students in lecture slides going forward.
Now a national free speech organization [FIRE] is pressuring UH to reverse its censorship of Lawson’s class materials [Law Professor Challenges University After Campus ‘Shooting’ Hypothetical Changed in Lesson Plan].
Lawson in turn has accused UH administrators of editing his PowerPoint in retaliation for suing the university after he was disciplined for speaking out about a Black History Month event.
- FIRE, Law Professor Challenges University After Campus ‘Shooting’ Hypothetical Changed in Lesson Plan (Jan. 23, 2025)
- FIRE, Letter to University of Hawaii (Jan. 22, 2025)
- FIRE, Letter to University of Hawaii (Dec. 13, 2024)
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