Person
Ward Churchill
Former University of Colorado Boulder professor of ethnic studies, who died in August 2026; his essays made the claim that U.S. soldiers spread smallpox to the Mandans in 1837.
Churchill v. University of Colorado
- Sanctioned by University of Colorado Boulder: dismissed after faculty committees found research misconduct; a jury in 2009 found the regents would not have fired him but for his comments about 9/11 and awarded $1; the trial judge set the verdict aside on immunity, reinstatement was denied, and the Colorado Supreme Court upheld that in 2012 123
Connections 1
sanctioned by
- University of Colorado Boulder Jul 2007 dismissed after faculty committees found research misconduct; a jury in 2009 found the regents would not have fired him but for his comments about 9/11 and awarded $1; the trial judge set the verdict aside on immunity, reinstatement was denied, and the Colorado Supreme Court upheld that in 2012 Scholarship & press 123
Timeline 1 date
- Jul 2007 Ward Churchill sanctioned by University of Colorado Boulder
Proof 3 sources
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Colorado Supreme Court upholds CU dismissal of Ward Churchill, CU Boulder Today, 10 Sep 2012.
Scholarship & press
Churchill was dismissed from the university in July of 2007 on a recommendation by then-CU President Hank Brown to the Board of Regents.
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Churchill v. University of Colorado, ACLU of Colorado, 10 Sep 2012.
Scholarship & press
The jury found that the Regents would not have fired Churchill but for his controversial comments about 9/11. The jury awarded $1 in nominal damages for this violation of the First Amendment.
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Ward Churchill, professor who challenged his dismissal over 9/11 essay, dies at 78, The Philadelphia Inquirer, reprinting the New York Times, 14 Aug 2026.
Scholarship & press
Ward L. Churchill, a professor whose firing by the University of Colorado in 2007 inspired a lawsuit that became a landmark case about academic freedom and free speech, has died. He was 78.
Page history 1 change
- Add 55 stories, each checked against its sources96e92fe6
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