Scott Gerber’s Case Shows That DEI Won’t Go Away Quietly

Executive orders and even state legislation isn't enough. There must be investigations, withholding of public funds, lawsuits, and -- especially -- public shaming.

Tonight I make my triumphant return to the halls of Georgetown University Law Center—my first time back since “The Troubles” of January-June 2023, when I wasn’t allowed on campus because that would “harmful” and “triggering.” I’ll be debating law professor and ACLU legal director David Cole at a Federalist Society event on the Trump administration’s approach to civil rights and free speech on campus. You can watch virtually! —IS

As its April 7 trial date approaches, Scott Gerber’s case against Ohio Northern University (ONU) Law School—which I have written about previously in City Journal and in my latest book Lawless—has taken another odious turn. The school has now filed a federal lawsuit against Gerber for having the gall to defend his rights. For the uninitiated, Gerber’s vocal opposition to his former employer’s DEI policies led to his dismissal from his tenured post at the school. But the school is seemingly unsatisfied with taking away his livelihood.

This frivolous countersuit is only the latest example of the university’s persistent disregard for due process and the rule of law. It also shows that the diversity-industrial complex won’t go quietly.