Criminology professor denied promotion over conservative columns
Mike Adams, a tenured criminology professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, was denied promotion to full professor in 2006 after publishing conservative opinion columns. The Fourth Circuit ruled in 2011 that his columns were protected speech; a jury found retaliation, and he received roughly $700,000 in damages, back pay, and fees.
Mike Adams converted from atheism to Christianity in 2000 and began publishing conservative opinion columns for Townhall.com. In 2006, UNCW denied his application for promotion to full professor, citing low scholarly output. He sued under the First Amendment and Title VII. In Adams v. Trustees of UNC-Wilmington, 640 F.3d 550 (4th Cir. 2011), the Fourth Circuit held his columns were citizen speech on matters of public concern entitled to Pickering protection. On remand, a federal jury found in 2014 that the university retaliated; the parties later resolved damages, back pay, and fees totaling approximately $700,000.