Real pushback: Stanford Law forces out administrator who aided and abetted a mob
Stanford’s former administrator Tirien Steinbach:
gone because she was in favor of censorship and
mob rule
Bring a gun to a knife fight: It appears that common sense and civilized behavior at Stanford Law School is finally being considered as the only proper behavior for the future and present lawyers that school is supposed to be training.
This story begins on March 9, 2023, when a mob of students and faculty at Stanford, led by Tirien Steinbach, the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion dean, shouted down U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Kyle Duncan when he tried to give a lecture about the law for the school’s chapter of the Federalist Society.
At the time the school’s response was weak and inconsistent. Though it sent a letter of apology to Duncan, it also equivocated about punishing anyone who had misbehaved. No students were expelled or suspended, and Steinbach was simply put on leave, even as university officials attempted to portray her as the victim. As I wrote then:
[Law School Dean] Martinez still appeared sympathetic to Steinbach, expressing “..concern over the hateful and threatening messages [Steinbach] has received as a result of viral online and media attention.”
Now, four months later Martinez has finally announced that Steinbach is resigning her post, though even now Martinez appeared regretful that this resignation was necessary.
In her announcement Thursday, Martinez said that the way Steinbach handled the situation was not in the best interest of free speech and admitted there is room for growth and learning in the future. “As I previously noted, tempers flared along multiple dimensions,” the dean said in her statement. “Although Associate Dean Steinbach intended to de-escalate the tense situation when she spoke at the March 9 event, she recognizes that the impact of her statements was not as she hoped or intended.”
“Both Dean Steinbach and Stanford recognize ways they could have done better in addressing the very challenging situation, including preparing for protests, ensuring university protocols are understood and helping administrators navigate tensions when they arise,” the statement added. “There are opportunities for growth and learning all around.”
There is still no word on whether the school intends to take action against any of its students who participated in the mob action. It seems likely that the school is hoping that with time the heat will die off and it will be able to make believe nothing happened at all. As I wrote in March,
We as a society always seem satisfied and willing to accept as sufficient these feel-good empty gestures. All these leftist and bankrupt institutions have to do is release insincere apologies or hold insincere events and our anger is assuaged. Even the actions in California and Texas to block these misbehaving students from law licenses is only symbolic, as it really is too distant and weak from the actual events to really make a difference.
We never seem to demand real concrete action. The closest I seen has been the decision of some judges to refuse to hire students from Yale because of that institution’s eagerness to blacklist.
Based on the continuing pressure on Stanford and its actions now, my pessimism might no longer be valid. For example, the announcement of Steinbach’s resignation today was preceded the day earlier by an article in the College Fix, demanding an update on the college’s investigation.
The College Fix reached out to Stanford Law School for comment six times over the last two weeks through email and phone calls to ask whether or not Steinbach is still employed at the school and when, if at all, her leave will be lifted.
The law school did not respond to any request for comment.
Obviously, weak apologies and empty feel-good gestures are no longer considered acceptable. Stanford’s announcement today suggests the College Fix article yesterday pressured it to finally act.
To this I say “Hurrah!” It appears that toleration of clearly uncivilized mob behavior in violation of all norms of decent society is finally vanishing. It appears increasingly that such bad behavior is going to face real consequences, if only because there are now news outlets that are going to keep the pressure on and force action to take place.
Obviously, this story is not over. The fate of the students who acted improperly still needs to be determined.
Note too that Steinbach’s resignation might partly be because of the Supreme Court decision recently ending all forms of racial discrimination by colleges. Under that ruling the school exposes itself to further liability simply by having a diversity, equity and inclusion dean. It could be the school and Steinbach factored this into the decision to resign.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
Stanford’s former administrator Tirien Steinbach:
gone because she was in favor of censorship and
mob rule
Bring a gun to a knife fight: It appears that common sense and civilized behavior at Stanford Law School is finally being considered as the only proper behavior for the future and present lawyers that school is supposed to be training.
This story begins on March 9, 2023, when a mob of students and faculty at Stanford, led by Tirien Steinbach, the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion dean, shouted down U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Kyle Duncan when he tried to give a lecture about the law for the school’s chapter of the Federalist Society.
At the time the school’s response was weak and inconsistent. Though it sent a letter of apology to Duncan, it also equivocated about punishing anyone who had misbehaved. No students were expelled or suspended, and Steinbach was simply put on leave, even as university officials attempted to portray her as the victim. As I wrote then:
[Law School Dean] Martinez still appeared sympathetic to Steinbach, expressing “..concern over the hateful and threatening messages [Steinbach] has received as a result of viral online and media attention.”
Now, four months later Martinez has finally announced that Steinbach is resigning her post, though even now Martinez appeared regretful that this resignation was necessary.
In her announcement Thursday, Martinez said that the way Steinbach handled the situation was not in the best interest of free speech and admitted there is room for growth and learning in the future. “As I previously noted, tempers flared along multiple dimensions,” the dean said in her statement. “Although Associate Dean Steinbach intended to de-escalate the tense situation when she spoke at the March 9 event, she recognizes that the impact of her statements was not as she hoped or intended.”
“Both Dean Steinbach and Stanford recognize ways they could have done better in addressing the very challenging situation, including preparing for protests, ensuring university protocols are understood and helping administrators navigate tensions when they arise,” the statement added. “There are opportunities for growth and learning all around.”
There is still no word on whether the school intends to take action against any of its students who participated in the mob action. It seems likely that the school is hoping that with time the heat will die off and it will be able to make believe nothing happened at all. As I wrote in March,
We as a society always seem satisfied and willing to accept as sufficient these feel-good empty gestures. All these leftist and bankrupt institutions have to do is release insincere apologies or hold insincere events and our anger is assuaged. Even the actions in California and Texas to block these misbehaving students from law licenses is only symbolic, as it really is too distant and weak from the actual events to really make a difference.
We never seem to demand real concrete action. The closest I seen has been the decision of some judges to refuse to hire students from Yale because of that institution’s eagerness to blacklist.
Based on the continuing pressure on Stanford and its actions now, my pessimism might no longer be valid. For example, the announcement of Steinbach’s resignation today was preceded the day earlier by an article in the College Fix, demanding an update on the college’s investigation.
The College Fix reached out to Stanford Law School for comment six times over the last two weeks through email and phone calls to ask whether or not Steinbach is still employed at the school and when, if at all, her leave will be lifted.
The law school did not respond to any request for comment.
Obviously, weak apologies and empty feel-good gestures are no longer considered acceptable. Stanford’s announcement today suggests the College Fix article yesterday pressured it to finally act.
To this I say “Hurrah!” It appears that toleration of clearly uncivilized mob behavior in violation of all norms of decent society is finally vanishing. It appears increasingly that such bad behavior is going to face real consequences, if only because there are now news outlets that are going to keep the pressure on and force action to take place.
Obviously, this story is not over. The fate of the students who acted improperly still needs to be determined.
Note too that Steinbach’s resignation might partly be because of the Supreme Court decision recently ending all forms of racial discrimination by colleges. Under that ruling the school exposes itself to further liability simply by having a diversity, equity and inclusion dean. It could be the school and Steinbach factored this into the decision to resign.
Readers!
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. Your support allows me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.
In 2020 when the world panicked over COVID I wrote that the panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Only in the past year have some of our so-called experts in the health field have begun to recognize these facts.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
1. Zelle: This is the only internet method that charges no fees. All you have to do is use the Zelle link at your internet bank and give my name and email address (zimmerman at nasw dot org). What you donate is what I get.
2. Patreon: Go to my website there and pick one of five monthly subscription amounts, or by making a one-time donation.
3. A Paypal Donation or subscription:
4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
Behind The Black
c/o Robert Zimmerman
P.O.Box 1262
Cortaro, AZ 85652
You can also support me by buying one of my books, as noted in the boxes interspersed throughout the webpage or shown in the menu above.
In related news, Stanford president Marc Tessier-Lavigne was forced to resign after it was revealed that his academic group published multiple papers with bogus mistake filled results. His field is neuroscience, a supposedly science based field. There are many other examples of just out right cheating and fabricating data in supposedly scientific papers. The academic world has been corrupt for a long time. See this famous 2005 paper by John Ioannidis
“Why most published research findings are false”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16060722/
Bob Wilson: The Tessier-Lavigne story was reported here at BtB yesterday. See:
Stanford president resigns due to research fraud allegations
BtB is always first with the important stories! :)
“..concern over the hateful and threatening messages [Steinbach] has received as a result of viral online and media attention.” Still waiting for an acknowledgment and apology for the hateful and threatening speech and actions of your students and faculty, dean….
David Eastman, She is the VICTIM !
Speaking of victims, consider the anguish of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D, FL) who was forced to listen to things that she did not want to hear at a Congressional hearing intended to address censorship issues.
https://www.westernjournal.com/rfk-jr-s-speech-gets-roaring-applause-dems-attempt-stop-testifying/
Watching some of this testimony on C-SPAN yesterday, could there be any better demonstration of what radical leftists really believe in — and the way in which they would conduct government if they were allowed to — than what is documented in this illuminating episode?
As it turns out, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. seems to be a far more outspoken and eloquent spokesman for traditional American values than many Republicans. No wonder the radical left fears and despises him.
PS — Some opinions expressed at this hearing might also serve as nominees for the “Best Example of Unintentional Irony Award” in terms of the Democrats’ well known propensity to project their own bad motives and behavior onto their opponents.
https://www.mediaite.com/politics/no-to-the-soviet-politburo-wasserman-schultz-leads-dem-effort-to-stop-rfk-jr-degradation-in-chaotic-house-hearing-vote/
As Virginia Democrat Rep. Gerry Connolly put it as he voted to limit free speech, “[Just Say] no to the Soviet Politburo.”
Do these people, one wonders, possess *any* self awareness or sense of irony?
https://texasscorecard.com/state/texas-am-president-resigns-after-public-outcry-over-dei/