In Defense of Academic Freedom and Fair Process: Support for Dr. Helyeh Doutaghi
As members of the legal profession committed to the rule of law, constitutional protections, and the integrity of legal education, IABA expresses deep concern over Yale Law School’s suspension of Dr. Helyeh Doutaghi. Dr. Doutaghi is an internationally recognized scholar of international law and human rights.
In March 2025, Yale Law School suspended Dr. Doutaghi from her position as a Visiting Fellow at the Schell Center for International Human Rights, reportedly based on unsubstantiated allegations in an artificial intelligence-generated publication, unattributed to any human author. This raises serious concerns about Yale’s due diligence and institutional responsibility to verify sources before taking punitive action against a scholar. We are also deeply concerned that political considerations tied to the content and viewpoint of Dr. Doutaghi’s speech may be influencing Yale’s decision-making process, setting a dangerous precedent.
This incident underscores broader threats to academic freedom and the right to free expression. Law schools must remain spaces where complex and controversial ideas can be explored without fear of retaliation.
While the First Amendment does not apply directly to private institutions like Yale, its underlying principles — freedom of expression, the right to dissent, and protection against viewpoint discrimination — are vital to the credibility of any institution entrusted with training future lawyers. The American Bar Association (ABA) has long recognized academic freedom as a cornerstone of legal education.1
In an era of rapidly advancing artificial intelligence, legal institutions must exercise care, rigor, and accountability before taking action that could harm a scholar’s reputation and chill protected expression. We call on Yale Law School to provide transparency regarding its actions, to ensure Dr. Doutaghi is afforded fair process, and to reaffirm its commitment to academic freedom and open discourse.
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1 2024-2025 ABA Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law, Standard 405(b)