The Volokh Conspiracy

Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent

About The Volokh Conspiracy Editorial Independence Who we are Books Volokh Daily Email Archives Search DMCA RSS

Free Speech

Law School Recommended Against Student's Bar Admission, Partly for Alleged "Celebration" of Charlie Kirk Assassination in Law School Clinic

The student sued seeking to undo the reprimand and report to the bar, but a federal court concluded that this particular remedy is barred by state sovereign immunity under the Eleventh Amendment/

Eugene Volokh | 5.22.2026 8:01 AM

From Judge Brantley Starr (N.D. Tex.) May 12 in Fisher v. Campbell:

This case stems from a Texas Tech University law student allegedly making a celebratory statement {in the clinic program offices} after Charlie Kirk's assassination while she was working at a legal clinic at the school. The school … reprimanded her and reported her to the state bar for acting unprofessionally, in violation of the school's honor code [on the grounds that she had] {"fail[ed] to uphold professional or fiduciary obligations including, but not limited to, performance related to clinical programs"}.

The alleged celebratory statements were said to be:

"I'm in such a good mood."

"That mother fucker got shot."

"I'm in the best mood ever."

"They got him."

"This is great."

The student, Fisher, denied making those statements, and the Honor Council report that initially considered the matter appeared ambivalent. But the Dean concluded that Fisher had made such statements; here's an excerpt from his letter to the bar:

The Dean's Office recommends against Ms. Ellen Fisher's admission to the Bar.

We do so for three related reasons. First, Ms. Fisher, as a clinical student with a supervised practice card, disrupted our clinical spaces with a celebration of a political assassination. Second, she has refused to take responsibility or show any remorse for her unprofessional actions. And, third, she has displayed dishonesty when discussing this incident in our Honor Code proceedings.

On September 10, 2025, Ms. Fisher celebrated a political assassination in the Law School's clinical suite during work hours. This occurred while Ms. Fisher was a clinical student with a supervised practice card and thus able to represent clients in our clinics under our professional supervision. The celebration was loud, overheard by others, and adversely affected the operation of the clinic.

Ms. Fisher's actions were unprofessional and also constitute a violation of the Law School's Honor Code, Section 2.H (Violation of Professional Duties), which prohibits "failing to uphold professional … obligations" related to "clinical programs." To state the obvious, we expect our clinical law students engaged in supervised practice under our supervision to display the same levels of professionalism in our clinical spaces that law firms expect from their attorneys in their law offices. The disruptive celebration of a political assassination in our clinical spaces is a reprehensible act radically inconsistent with widely recognized professional expectations in law firm spaces. Therefore, we also view this conduct as severe enough to constitute a violation of the Honor Code….

The Dean's Office has 100% confidence in its fact-finding that Ms. Fisher celebrated an assassination in the clinical suite in a disruptive fashion on September 10, 2025. Notably, on September 16, Professor Metze's administrative appointment as a clinical director was terminated and he was given modified instructional duties with limited student contact precisely because of his admitted failure to take any steps to correct Ms. Fisher's celebration of a murder in his office. Professor Metze later retired from the law faculty at the end of calendar year 2025 in the face of further disciplinary proceedings supported by Texas Tech University and the Texas Tech University System for this same admitted failure to perform basic job responsibilities on September 10.

At no point, to my knowledge, during his employment with TTU did Professor Metze ever retract his........

© Reason.com