College Wisely Acknowledges <em>Game of Thrones</em> Shirt Is Not a Violent Threat

By | October 30, 2014

Hodor.No, posting a
picture of your daughter doing yoga while wearing a T-shirt with a
quote from Game of Thrones on social media is not a threat
to do harm to anybody. Thank heavens the folks at Bergen Community
College in New Jersey have finally settled that little issue.

This case goes back to January, when a college professor did
what was just described above. He posted said picture on Google+. A
college executive director got an e-mail notification about the
picture post. He saw the picture of the girl, with her shirt that
read “I will take what is mine with fire & blood,” and thought
that this was an actual threat. They put Professor Francis Schmidt
on leave (without pay!) and ordered him to see a psychiatrist. More
details .

Months later the college has realized the professor wasn’t the
one who had lost his mind. Today Eugene Volokh over at The
Washington Post
has a admitting as such:

This letter acknowledges that Bergen Community College (“BCC”)
may have lacked basis to sanction you for your January 12, 2014
Google+ post of your daughter wearing a Game of Thrones t-shirt
(the “Incident”). By sanctioning you as it did, BCC may have
unintentionally erred and potentially violated your constitutional
rights, including under the First Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution.

Upon further reflection on this matter and in order to bring
this issue to closure, BCC will strike and remove from your
employment file any adverse record in connection with this
Incident. … Likewise, any penalty or restriction you may have
suffered in connection with this Incident, … is hereby rescinded
and acknowledged to be null and void. Part and parcel of this
acknowledgement, the Incident shall not be considered in any future
BCC decisions concerning your employment, including without
limitation any decisions relating to promotion, sabbatical,
compensation, or any future disciplinary proceeding. In sum, you
will be in good standing with BCC as if the Incident never
occurred, and BCC’s records shall so reflect.

Category: Liberty
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