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Penn Law Professor Amy Wax Faces Backlash For Accusing Dr. Christine Ford Of Exaggerating Trauma

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A University of Pennsylvania law professor is under fire tonight for her remarks about Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, the accuser of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

In a YouTube video posted last week, University of Pennsylvania professor Amy Wax expressed a hard-line opinion when it came to Ford's testimony accusing Kavanaugh of a 1982 sexual assault.

Many people on campus were aware of the ordeal and given the controversial nature, some had very different opinions on the professor's future.

"I think she should have held her tongue. If I were her I would have," said one person.

Previously, Wax had been restricted from teaching first-year law students due to past comments regarding race and free speech after speaking on an online series by Brown University professor Glenn Loury.

In that incident. which occurred in March. Wax said she has never seen a black student graduate in the top quarter of the class. At the time, the dean of Penn's law school, Ted Ruger, said Wax spoke "disparagingly and inaccurately," but her tenured position allowed her to remain at the university. She also kept her salary and her seniority.

In the recent hour-long video, she accused Ford of exaggerating her trauma.

Petition Amy Wax upenn
Credit: CBS3

Now, nearly 5,000 people signed an online petition demanding that Wax be fired from the University of Pennsylvania for her remarks.

"I think that as a citizen it's her right to do what she says, but I think it reflects poorly on the university," explains law student, Sabrina Ruchelli.

The law student is actually a former student of Wax.

"Everyone knows that she has problematic views on race, women, so I think knowing that she had those views impacted the ability to take what she said in class at face value," Ruchelli added.

"I have no problems with her staying here at the University of Pennsylvania," says Dr. Maurice Henderson, an adjunct fellow at Penn's Center for Public Health Initiatives.

Dr. Henderson believes that differing opinions help to prepare students for the real world.

"We need those voices for us to have conversations about how we can change minds, change ideas, and change positions," Dr. Henderson adds.

Right now, Wax only teaches elective law classes. That decision was made in March.

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