Kansas justice chides state law school for ‘closed’ climate

By JOHN HANNA
AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas Supreme Court justice has resigned in protest from a part-time teaching job at a state law school following what he says was an unsuccessful university attempt to pressure students into canceling an event featuring a leader of a group that opposes LGBTQ rights. Justice Caleb Stegall’s protest last week came amid ongoing national debates over free speech on college campuses and what’s taught in colleges and in K-12 classrooms. Stegall decried what he called the law school’s closed culture. The law school’s dean disagreed with that assessment but said it values Stegall’s views. Disputes in other states have prompted lawmakers to pass laws dealing with free speech.