LAWSUIT@Univ. of Illinois: Does John Doe Have Property Interest Rights to Continue Education?
John Doe is suing the University of Illinois after it dismissed him for 2 1/2 years. Doe says his constitutional rights to due process were violated by the student disciplinary process at the UI. “What the universities are doing, what the U. of I. is doing, is they’re taking away a right to an education at the university and in order to take away that property right, we believe there needs to be due process followed” said Mark Roth, Doe’s attorney. “Due process may not be what’s required in a court of law, but here, it doesn’t even allow the accused student to attend a hearing.” Doe’s lawyers asked a federal judge to issue a ruling in their favor on their lawsuit against the UI. An attorney representing the board of trustees, argued that Doe does not have a property interest to continuing education and is therefore not entitled to a full hearing, and that even if he were, the UI’s process meets the requirements established by court precedent. Doe’s attorney remarked, “I think this is a precedent-setting case that is going to have potentially wide implications across the country for all universities,”
news-gazette.com By Ben Zigterman
