Professor blocked by University of Arizona over DEI

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(The Center Square) -  A University of Arizona professor has filed a federal lawsuit against the Arizona Board of Regents, claiming he was improperly blocked from faculty governance committees after raising concerns about the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion practices. 

The lawsuit, filed Nov. 25 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, states the university excluded Dr. Matthew Abraham, a tenured professor of English, from faculty governance committees after he questioned the school's race-based hiring and DEI practices. 

“Dr. Abraham has been discriminated against … for basically daring to question the university's hiring practices,” Ángel J. Valencia, senior counsel at the Liberty Justice Center, told The Center Square in an exclusive interview. 

Abraham filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2022. The EEOC dismissed the charge and issued a right-to-sue letter in August 2025, giving the Liberty Justice Center 90 days to file the suit.

“We seek to restore lawful, transparent standards for committee service, to remove the stigma the University has placed on Dr. Abraham, and to hold the University accountable for their unlawful actions,” Valencia said in a statement.  

A University of Arizona spokesperson told The Center Square in an email that "the university will not comment on what is an active legal matter.”

The Liberty Justice Center is asking the court to stop the university from using protected speech as a reason to block faculty from serving on committees, ban any race-based selection practices tied to DEI policies, remove negative labels from Dr. Abraham’s records and ensure he receives fair consideration for committee service, according to a Monday press release.

“We want this to send a message that all faculty members are free to speak their minds, legally, without fear of retribution or retaliation from their employer,” Valencia told The Center Square. 

Valencia said this is a serious civil rights violation, adding that the Liberty Justice Center intends to hold the university accountable.