Federal judge bars Bakersfield College from punishing professor over DEI opposition

BAKERSFIELD, Calif.(KBAK/KBFX) — A federal judge has issued a temporary ruling barring Bakersfield College from firing or punishing a professor for opposing diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, policies.

PREVIOUS REPORTING: Prof sues California college trustee who compared opponents of diversity efforts to ‘livestock’ that need ‘the slaughterhouse’

In 2023, Daymon Johnson, a history professor at Bakersfield College, sued the administrators, alleging that they had targeted him because of his political beliefs. Johnson said the college investigated him after he referred to a colleague on social media as a “social justice warrior.”

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The college determined Johnson had committed no wrongdoing. On Friday, a federal judge found that Johnson’s First Amendment rights were likely violated.