Stanford Law DEI dean who went viral for scolding Trump-appointed judge resigning her position
DEI dean announces resignation months after viral video circulated of her at wild protest against Kyle Duncan
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A DEI dean at Stanford Law School, who went viral for her speech reprimanding a federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump while a mob of law students shouted him down, will resign from her position, according to a school announcement.
Students learned that Tirien Steinbach would leave her post as associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion in an announcement issued by the Dean of Stanford Law School, Professor Jenny S. Martinez. In her announcement, the dean mentioned the March 9 incident where Steinbach stoked a crowd of angry students while Trump-appointed U.S. Circuit Judge Kyle Duncan attempted to speak to students attending an event organized by the Federalist Society.
"Associate Dean Steinbach and I both hope that SLS can move forward as a community from the divisions caused by the March 9 event," the announcement read.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Stanford Law's associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion Tirien Steinbach is seen during a protest against Judge Kyle Duncan. (FOX NEWS DIGITAL)
In March, audio and video of the scene went viral on social media, which showed students interrupting, shouting and insulting the judge for his conservative views. He was ultimately forced to leave without giving his prepared remarks to students attending the event, but he did have the chance to tell students that he thought they were acting infantile and rude.
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Amid the chaos, Steinbach took to the front of the room to give her thoughts, questioning if free speech was worth giving Duncan a platform due to the "harm" caused by his rulings.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I had to write something down because I am so uncomfortable up here," she said at the front of the room feet away from Duncan. "And I don't say that for sympathy, I just say that I am deeply, deeply uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable because this event is tearing at the fabric of this community that I care about, and I'm here to support."
"And, again, I ask is the juice worth the squeeze? Is this worth the pain that this causes and the division that this causes?" she asked.
Her remarks went viral, and she became a lightning rod for criticism of campus wokeness and suppression of free speech.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A few weeks later, Martinez announced that Steinbach was on a leave of absence following the incident and noted that administrators and students would be required to complete free speech training.
Stanford Law's associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion Tirien Steinbach covers her face during the protest. (FOX NEWS DIGITAL )
Alex Morey, Director of Campus Rights Advocacy for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said in a statement that the announcement hopefully was a signal that Stanford would continue to make free speech a cornerstone. "We’re hopeful that after some administrative house cleaning over the last 48 hours, today represents a promising new day for higher ed best practices at Stanford," she said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In her announcement Thursday, Martinez said that the way Steinbach handled the situation was not in the best interest of free speech and admitted there is room for growth and learning in the future.
"As I previously noted, tempers flared along multiple dimensions," the dean said in her statement. "Although Associate Dean Steinbach intended to de-escalate the tense situation when she spoke at the March 9 event, she recognizes that the impact of her statements was not as she hoped or intended."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Both Dean Steinbach and Stanford recognize ways they could have done better in addressing the very challenging situation, including preparing for protests, ensuring university protocols are understood and helping administrators navigate tensions when they arise," the statement added. "There are opportunities for growth and learning all around."
Stanford Law student Tim Rosenberger, the Federalist Society's chapter president, believed the incident to be indicative of a broader problem with speech and culture on all college campuses.
Tim Rosenberger, inset, is president of the Stanford chapter of the Federalist Society, which invited Judge Kyle Duncan to speak. (Fox News Digital)
"There definitely is a problem with speech and with the culture, I don't think it's unique to Stanford," Rosenberger told Fox News Digital at the time. "I think it's true of the other schools, too, but there's work to be done."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"They were just yelling at him," he said. "People [were] yelling really horrible things about him, about his family members being raped, I assume an allusion to his support for [Dobbs v. Women's Health]."
The behavior of the students appeared to be in clear violation of the school's free speech policy against "disrupt[ing] the effective carrying out of a University function or approved activity, such as lectures, meetings, interviews, ceremonies, the conduct of University business in a University office, and public events."
Reached for comment, a Stanford Law spokesperson directed Fox News Digital to the announcement.
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