Former FAU professor, Sandy Hook conspiracist to appeal his firing

FAU fired James Tracy in 2015 after writing on his blog that Sandy Hook was a “hoax.” Now a federal court could overturn his case.

James Tracy guest lecturing in political science professor Marshall DeRosa’s class. Photo by Alexander Rodriguez

Israel Fontoura, News Editor
August 2, 2019

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect that the appellate hearing will be held in Atlanta, not Miami.

Lawyers representing former tenured FAU professor James Tracy will argue his firing before a federal court this September in Atlanta, he announced on his blog last month. 

 

Tracy believes FAU fired him in December 2015 because of his personal blog posts about the validity of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. But university officials said it was because he refused to submit a mandatory “Report of Outside Employment or Professional Activity Form,” which indicates income that faculty earn outside the university, the UP previously reported.

 

Tracy’s attorneys will argue he was fired because of his posts, not because of the outside employment form. They cite these reasons on the appeal brief: 

 

  • Tracy’s blogging was obviously not a conflict of interest
  • FAU’s reason for firing Tracy was legally insufficient
  • FAU’s history of disciplining and monitoring Tracy’s blog
  • FAU’s selective enforcement of a vague policy
  • Evidence of complaints and negative publicity
  • FAU’s termination letter citing the blog
  • FAU emails celebrating Tracy’s termination

 

He sued FAU for wrongful termination and lost the case in December 2017. 

 

Tracy taught in the School of Communication and Multimedia Studies for 14 years. To see a timeline of Tracy’s time at FAU, click here.

Israel Fontoura is the news editor with the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, follow @israelofontoura on Twitter or email [email protected]