John Eastman’s impression on Chapman: a timeline
The Panther has compiled 22 instances in which now-retired law professor John Eastman has made headlines around the Chapman community. Graphic by HARRY LADA, Art Director
He joined Chapman University’s faculty in 1999. He served as interim associate dean for the Dale E. Fowler School of Law in 2006 and 2007. He worked as former President Donald Trump’s attorney in 2020, arguing a failed voter fraud lawsuit. Ultimately, Chapman community outrage and embarrassment befell former law professor John Eastman, and thus, he retired from his academic post in 2021.
“Because the President at issue was Donald Trump, who invokes a visceral hatred from the overwhelmingly left-wing faculty on campus (yes, you read that right), howls instead of cheers rang out when my representation of the President became public,” Eastman wrote in an opinion piece published by conservative outlet The American Mind.
The Panther has compiled 22 instances in which Eastman made headlines around the Chapman community, supplanted by our own and outside reporting. Here is a timeline of the former law professor’s impression on the university over the past six months.
AUGUST 12: John Eastman releases Newsweek opinion widely argued as “birtherist”
In the opinion, Eastman questioned then-California Sen. Kamala Harris’ eligibility for the vice presidency given her parents’ citizenship status at the time of her birth. The piece was widely condemned by Chapman students, faculty and outside scholars alike.
AUGUST 14: Newsweek apologizes for Eastman’s piece being “used as a tool to perpetuate racism and xenophobia”
The apology came in the form of an editor’s note, which explained the piece was “never intended to spark or to take part in the racist lie of Birtherism,” but rather to examine a legal argument.
AUGUST 17: Chapman faculty petition opposes Eastman’s Newsweek opinion
Lisa Leitz, Chapman’s Delp-Wilkinson Endowed Chair in Peace Studies, organized a petition signed by over 500 faculty members calling for the university administration to “reiterate its commitment to an environment that welcomes all students.”
AUGUST 17: Chapman president releases statement on university’s commitment to diversity and inclusion
The statement was ill-received by many members of the Chapman community, as President Daniele Struppa emphasized Chapman’s commitment to academic freedom and noted that “the university is not responsible for the ideas of its faculty.”
AUGUST 17 - 21: Chairman of Board of Trustees and professors release opinion pieces in the Orange County Register and the Voice of OC addressing Eastman’s argument
Wylie Aitken, chairman of Chapman’s Board of Trustees, Tom Campbell and Robert Slayton, respectively professors within the Dale E. Fowler School of Law and the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, denounced Eastman’s opinion and noted that Chapman’s expressed commitment to free speech also enabled them to dispute concepts they disagreed with.
AUGUST 26: Black Student Union (BSU) president recuses herself from Black freshman orientation
BSU President Ramya Sinha expressed dismay that Struppa and Dean of Students Jerry Price attended a meeting that was intended as a “safe space for incoming Black freshmen to meet each other” when she felt the “administration couldn’t even condemn racism publicly.”
AUGUST 29: BSU hosts protest calling for diversity initiatives
Over 100 attended the protest, held on the steps of Memorial Hall, and listened to members of the BSU, faculty and other students voice their concerns about the state of the university and its response to Eastman’s opinion.
SEPTEMBER 4: Diversity and Social Justice Forum releases open letter in response to Eastman’s article
The letter asserted that Eastman’s article “advances negative sentiments about the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community, immigration and citizenship in this country.”
SEPTEMBER 9: Black Law Students Association (BLSA) releases open letter condemning Eastman’s article
Much of BLSA’s letter touched on existing police brutality in America and the subsequent Black Lives Matter movement that emerged over the months, explaining Eastman’s opinion was a “form of racial disparity birthed in our own backyard.”
DECEMBER 8: John Eastman represents former President Donald Trump in Supreme Court
Eastman filed a Supreme Court case aiming to overturn the general election results. Much of the Chapman University community erupted in outrage over Eastman tying his university credentials with the lawsuit.
DECEMBER 13: Chapman faculty issue dissenting statement against Eastman
Over 150 faculty members signed a statement calling Eastman’s brief “a disgraceful attack on American democracy,” arguing the university’s values are not in alignment with Eastman’s actions.
DECEMBER 23: Eastman argues against Chapman “cancel culture”
Eastman wrote an opinion piece in The American Mind, a conservative outlet overseen by the Claremont Institute, of which Eastman is the founding director for the organization’s Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence. In the opinion piece, he provides rebuttals for the Chapman criticisms he’s received, writing that “attempts by some of my ‘colleagues’ to ‘cancel’ me rather than have an honest debate over the substantial issues that have been raised is hardly conducive to collegiality, or becoming of a University that claims to be dedicated to the pursuit of truth.”
JANUARY 6: John Eastman speaks at a rally that leads to the Capitol Hill insurrection
Eastman spoke alongside Rudy Giuliani the day of the Capitol insurrection Jan. 6, asserting the use of “secret folder” vote matching. His speech may have contributed to the violent rush on the Capitol building that followed later that day.
JANUARY 6: Chapman University hosts Capitol Hill vigil
Struppa and Gail Stearns, dean of the Wallace All Faiths Chapel, hosted a vigil to provide a safe space for discussion and reflection of the violence witnessed in Washington, D.C. The BSU organized a sit-in for the virtual meeting and protested for the amplification of minority voices.
JANUARY 7: University of Colorado Boulder chancellor releases “shame” statement
Eastman was on leave from Chapman while serving as a visiting scholar at the University of Colorado Boulder, whose Chancellor Phil DiStefano released a statement expressing that Eastman’s “continued advocacy of conspiracy theories is repugnant, and he will bear the shame for his role in undermining confidence in the rule of law.” However, DiStefano said he will not fire Eastman given the university’s Board of Regents’ policy protecting the First Amendment.
JANUARY 8: Chapman reaffirms commitment to democracy
Struppa issued a statement to the Chapman community asserting that Eastman’s actions have jeopardized the American democracy and “are in direct opposition to the values and beliefs of (Chapman).”
JANUARY 9: Chapman faculty and trustees publish “John Eastman does not belong on our campus” opinion
The Los Angeles Times published a Chapman faculty and trustee opinion piece calling for Eastman to be removed from teaching at the university’s law school. In the piece, the contributors discuss how Eastman has abused the freedom of speech through the Brandenburg v. Ohio Supreme Court ruling that sees protection of speech unless it incites “imminent lawless action.”
JANUARY 9: President Daniele Struppa issues “emperor” statement
Struppa outlined the offensive emails he’s received by not taking employment action against Eastman, stating that the former professor can be fired if he is found guilty of a felony or is disbarred. He included the following statement that illustrates the dissonance between members of the Chapman community: “I am not the Emperor of Chapman University, nor I am the Supreme Leader of Chapman University. I am the President of the university, and as such, I am bound by laws and processes that are clearly spelled out in our Faculty Manual.”
JANUARY 13: Chapman University announces Eastman’s retirement
Former law professor John Eastman parted ways with Chapman University after his 20-year-long career at the Dale E. Fowler School of Law. Struppa disclosed that after private discussions with Eastman, an agreement was reached that he would retire and no legal action would be made against either party.
JANUARY 14: Eastman releases resignation letter
As a final au revoir, Eastman reflected on his time at Chapman and thanked Struppa for defending him in their “strong working relationship.” He then went on to detail the “hostile” working environment from his colleagues that drove him to retire from the institution.
JANUARY 21: University of Colorado Boulder revokes Eastman’s speaking rights as visiting scholar
Eastman will continue the rest of his visiting scholarship at the University of Colorado Boulder until his contract is up May 7. However, his spring 2021 classes were canceled and the institution’s Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization has revoked his public speaking and outreach efforts.
JANUARY 21: Chapman Activist Coalition releases Voice of OC opinion questioning the current state of the university
Founding members of Chapman’s Activist Coalition Natalia Ventura, Lucille Henderson and Juliana Tarallo argued in an opinion piece that the John Eastman era is “a mere vignette inside the centuries-old book of institutionalized racism at the university.”
Graphic by HARRY LADA, Art Director