Gov. Andy Beshear continued his criticism this week of the University of Kentucky’s selection of a new dean for its law school.
Beshear accused UK of politicizing its law school in a news briefing Thursday.
The governor said the university failed to follow its own guidelines when it selected U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove over three dean candidates with better qualifications.
“See, here's the thing: The regular procedure had things set out like it had to be someone who needed tenure,” Beshear said. “They had to come from academia, and this individual didn't meet any of it.”
Van Tatenhove, whose first day was Wednesday, has connections to prominent Republicans.
“Don't insult our intelligence claiming that this is some normal process, and then you just look at all the political connections, and it makes you worry,” Beshear said.
Woodcock files lawsuit
A suspended UK law professor, Ramsi Woodcock, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Lexington earlier this week to block Van Tatenhove’s appointment. A UK spokesman called the lawsuit frivolous.
“Judge Van Tatenhove was selected as dean of the Rosenberg College of Law following an extensive process that is the same as other dean selections,” UK spokesman Jay Blanton said in a statement. “The result is an outstanding new dean who has been a proven leader and is excited about helping lead a talented group of faculty, staff and students forward.”
Woodcock was suspended from teaching last year over public comments in support of Palestine.
Among other matters, his latest suit accuses UK of threatening the law school’s accreditation with Van Tatenhove’s appointment.
Woodcock’s complaint says a majority of law school faculty rejected Van Tatenhove. It also says the judge does not come from an academic background and has produced no scholarly research, yet he would review the academic research of law school faculty.
The complaint says no law student can be licensed to practice law in Kentucky if their school has been sanctioned by the American Bar Association, and Woodcock alleges Van Tatenhove's appointment threatens the school's accreditation.
Jaci Devine, communications director for the Accreditation Council, which operates independently of the American Bar Association, said the council wouldn’t comment on matters related to specific schools.
She did say law schools receive an accreditation review every 10 years. The UK law school’s next review will take place in 2031-32.
More about Van Tatenhove
Van Tatenhove was nominated to the federal bench in 2005 by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
He is a 1989 alumnus of the UK law school. As dean, he will be paid $442,000 a year. He's also eligible for a pension from his service to the federal courts.
Van Tatenove has Republican ties, but as a federal judge, he has not been lenient with Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia, a Republican who has numerous legal troubles.
Last week, he ordered one of Justice’s coal companies, Kentucky Fuel Corp., to pay $18 million in lost mining royalties, retainer fees, civil penalties and interest in a 2012 lawsuit filed by two Kentucky companies.
Earlier, Van Tatenhove had sanctioned Jim Justice’s son, Jay, and an associate who manage Kentucky Fuel. The two failed to comply with a court order and were initially fined $250 a day. Van Tatenhove later increased the penalty to $1,000 a day.
Under his order last week, they owe those penalties, plus interest.
