Image Credit: MTSU
The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
Amidst a slew of firings from colleges and universities across the state for distasteful and mocking words about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) associate dean is the latest to protest her dismissal through a lawsuit against the school.
Laura Sosh-Lightsy’s career as an Associate Dean of Students and English/Creative Writing Professor at MTSU spanned over 20 years before she was fired for a social media post where she expressed a lack of sympathy for Kirk and mocked the manner of his death based on Kirk’s espoused views of the Second Amendment and gun control.
“Looks like ol’ Charlie spoke his fate into existence. Hate begets hate. ZERO sympathy,” Sosh-Lightsy wrote on Facebook. She later attempted to justify her first post after receiving negative attention and comments, saying she was being misunderstood and “not celebrating the loss of Charlie Kirk’s life. Violence is not the answer. I am celebrating the loss of his message of violence, in an increasingly violent world, which is partially because of him.”
The school promptly fired her, saying her “callous and insensitive comments” were the opposite of what was expected from university staff. “Speech can have consequences and her thoughtlessness and lack of empathy mean that no one walking into her office can see her as an objective arbiter of facts,” said MTSU President Sidney McPhee at the time of the incident.
In return, Sosh-Lightsy filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the university last week, alleging her rights to free and protected speech were violated. The complaint states Sosh-Lightsy’s comments were made as a private citizen speaking on a matter of concern, making them protected speech under the First Amendment.
The filing also alleges she was fired even though her speech did not interfere with her job performance or any other university operations. Furthermore, Sosh-Lightsy blames third parties, like Senator Marsha Blackburn who publicly called for her immediate termination, for putting pressure on the school to fire her.
Sosh-Lightsy believes the school is guilty of allowing politics to interfere with work, not the other way around. “Who can’t do their job because of politics? Because I believe MTSU may have fired me because of politics,” she told local media. “You fired me because the institution is biased. You are being bought out for political maneuvering.”
The school maintains her comments rendered her unable to objectively “resolve any conduct student matters, particularly those involving students whose opinions align with Mr. Kirk’s.” MTSU also said her words caused a general “disruption and interference with University operations”, bolstering their determination that her termination was legal and did not impede her free speech.
Melody Fowler Green, Sosh-Lightsy’s attorney and member of Nashville Public Radio’s board, thinks “the termination itself sets a dangerous precedent for the First Amendment and Tennesseans’ rights to voice their opinions. It’s very dangerous that we have legislators who are targeting individuals for their speech.”
Belmont law professor David Hudson, who has done extensive work on First Amendment issues per his school bio, stated the case will likely rely on context. “It’s a gray area, right? So public employees do not lose all their First Amendment rights simply because they accept public employment,” he said.
But he also noted that employees do surrender some of those rights in taking a position as a public employee. And in this case, Sosh-Lightsy must show she was speaking as a private citizen, a prospect Hudson believes likely given the post was made to a personal page. She must also prove her speech touched on a matter of public concern, which Hudson also believes is probably true, and dispute that her speech was disruptive enough to the university to warrant a dismissal.
Sosh-Lightsy has also reportedly filed a grievance complaint with MTSU which is still in the early stages, and she is the fourth educator to file suit against the school or district from which they were fired for comments about Charlie Kirk.
About the Author: Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
