<div dir="ltr"><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Center for Constitutional Rights</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:alerts@ccrjustice.org">alerts@ccrjustice.org</a>></span><br>Date: Wed, Jun 10, 2015 at 8:52 PM<br>Subject: Pack the court: Salaita Freedom of Information Hearing<br>To: Robert Naiman <<a href="mailto:naiman@justforeignpolicy.org">naiman@justforeignpolicy.org</a>><br><br><br>
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<td valign="top" width="540"><a href="http://ccrjustice.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=652&qid=302336" title="An update from CCR" target="_blank"><img alt="CCR Event" border="0" height="75" src="http://ccrjustice.org/sites/default/files/civicrm/persist/contribute/images/ccr-newsletter-header-logo-event-alert-540x75.png" width="540"></a></td>
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<p>Dear Robert,</p>
<p>Please pack the court in Champaign, IL, this Friday, where CCR’s co-counsel at Loevy & Loevy will argue for the release of documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) in the case of <a href="http://ccrjustice.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=653&qid=302336" target="_blank">Professor Steven Salaita</a>. Salaita was fired from his tenured position at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) for his personal tweets condemning Israel’s attack on Gaza last summer. The FOIA litigation was filed to find out the full story behind the University’s decision to fire Professor Salaita, including the role played by donor pressure. The University filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that the
request is “unduly burdensome.” Lawyers for Professor Salaita, who are also seeking summary judgment, will argue that the public’s interest in disclosure of this information outweighs the burden on the University of producing it. <strong>Please show your support by attending the hearing.</strong></p>
<p><strong>WHAT</strong>: Hearing in FOIA litigation on behalf of Professor Salaita</p>
<p><strong>WHEN</strong>: Friday, June 12 at 9:30 AM CST (arrive early)</p>
<p><strong>WHERE</strong>: Circuit Court Sixth Judicial Circuit, Champaign County, 101 E. Main St., Urbana, IL 61801 - Courtroom B, 3<sup>rd</sup> Floor</p>
<p>Professor Salaita, a nationally recognized scholar, was offered a tenured position at the UIUC’S American Indian Studies Program. After he and his wife resigned their jobs at Virginia Tech University and prepared to move their family, Salaita was abruptly informed he was being terminated two weeks before he was due to start teaching. University officials have since acknowledged that their decision was based on Professor Salaita’s tweets critical of Israeli government atrocities in Gaza, which they deemed “uncivil.” Firing Professor Salaita because some were offended by his personal tweets violates the First Amendment and principles of academic freedom. Documents obtained through other FOIA
requests reveal pressure from donors who threatened to withdraw financial support from the University if it did not fire Salaita. This pressure is consistent with <a href="http://ccrjustice.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=654&qid=302336" target="_blank">broader efforts</a> by outside groups to silence Palestinian human rights activists on campuses all across the country. </p>
<p>More than 5,000 academics have pledged to boycott UIUC, resulting in the cancellation of dozens of scheduled talks and conferences. Sixteen academic departments have voted no confidence in the University administration, and multiple academic organizations have publicly condemned UIUC’s action. A public <a href="http://ccrjustice.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=655&qid=302336" target="_blank">petition</a> for Professor Salaita's reinstatement has garnered over 19,000 signatures.</p>
<p>You can learn more about Professor Salaita’s case and CCR’s other work in support of activists targeted for their support of Palestine by visiting our <a href="http://ccrjustice.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=656&qid=302336" target="_blank">Palestinian Solidarity</a> and <a href="http://ccrjustice.org/sites/all/modules/civicrm/extern/url.php?u=657&qid=302336" target="_blank">Criminalizing Dissent</a> issue pages.</p>
<p><strong>We hope to see you on June 12!</strong></p>
<p>Thank you for your continued support.</p>
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