Thomas Klocek case update

It's been a while since I've written about the Thomas Klocek case.

A summary: In September, 2004, Klocek, a longtime and popular adjunct professor at Chicago's DePaul University, got in a discussion with some Muslim students at a new student fair on campus.

Klocek challenged their anti-Israel views--aren't minds supposed to be challenged in college?--but the students didn't like what they heard. Instead of thinking about what he said, or just shrugging it off, they complained to his dean, and even got the Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) involved.

After being getting forced out of his position, Klocek sued DePaul for defamation.

But last spring the case was dismissed by Cook County Circuit Court judge Charles Winkler. Klocek's attorneys have appealed--they filed an opening brief in his appeal of that decision to deny him a jury trial on the merits of his defamation case against DePaul.

Prior to the assignment of Winkler to the case, two other judges ruled against DePaul's motion to dismiss. Winkler issued several orders shortly before the dismissal, which occurred three weeks before the jury trial was to have commenced.

Related posts:

Sept 15: Second anniversary of the beginning of the Thomas Klocek affair

DePaul President Fr. Holtschneider: "Academic freedom is alive and well at DePaul"

CAIR-Chicago recommended that DePaul fire Klocek

Technorati tags: illinois college education DePaul Catholic free speech academic freedom Thomas Klocek Cook County law muslim Israel Palestine cair chicago religion