This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available. Last updated July 15 at 5:00 a.m.
Medill Prof. Steven Thrasher filed a lawsuit against Northwestern on Monday, over a year after the University denied him tenure and just weeks before his employment is scheduled to be terminated completely.
The lawsuit alleges the University and government officials “robbed Dr. Thrasher of his successful academic career and livelihood because of a joint project of Northwestern and elements of the federal government to manufacture consent for their participation in the Zionist colonial project in Palestine.”
Thrasher is suing for breach of employment contract, retaliation against speech protected by the First Amendment and discrimination based on race, sexual orientation and his support of Palestinians as violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Illinois Human Rights Act.
“Academic freedom at universities is precious, and Professor Steven Thrasher and many others recognize that,” Thrasher’s attorney Rima Kapitan told The Daily on Tuesday. “He doesn’t see himself as a mere individual fighting this case. He recognizes that he is among many faculty across the country who refuse to go along with and participate in their administration’s suppression of speech on Palestine.”
In 2024, the University notified Thrasher that he was under investigation following his involvement in the spring 2024 encampment on Deering Meadow. A faculty committee later found no grounds for temporary suspension.
NU launched another investigation into Thrasher’s actions at the encampment in January 2025. Thrasher published a news release in March 2025 that alleged the University denied him tenure due to his support for Palestine and because he intervened between University police and students during the encampment. The news sparked an on-campus protest.
The lawsuit also mentions NU Trustee Michael Sacks, who requested that “we just not hire assholes anymore” in private text messages with former University President Michael Schill on April 27, 2024, directly following Thrasher’s confrontation with police officers. Sacks did not immediately respond to The Daily’s request for comment on the case.
Later that month, Medill Dean Charles Whitaker notified the professor that his spring 2025 classes were canceled because Thrasher’s “public lobbying, mischaracterizations and efforts to encourage pressure from groups complicate and compromise the process of tenure review, decision making, and appeal.”
Thrasher was not assigned classes throughout the 2025-26 academic year.
The lawsuit alleges Northwestern breached its contract with Thrasher by “refusing to allow him to teach during the 2024-2025 and 2025-2027 academic years, even though he had not been found to have committed misconduct” or violated the University’s Policy on Institutional Equity. Additionally, it alleges NU did not follow the required prerequisites for temporary suspension outlined in the Faculty Handbook.
In an essay published by Literary Hub announcing the lawsuit, Thrasher wrote NU refused to “substantively review” his internal appeal of his tenure denial. In 2019, Thrasher was appointed as the inaugural Daniel H. Renberg Chair of social justice in reporting, a position he would have held until 2028.
In addition to NU, Thrasher is suing U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., each in their official capacities.
The lawsuit names Walberg in his capacity as chair of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, alleging the committee “pressured Northwestern to terminate Steven Thrasher’s employment.” In 2024, committee members grilled Schill over his leadership throughout the encampment, including his treatment of Thrasher.
A spokesperson for Walberg did not immediately respond to The Daily’s request for comment on the lawsuit.
In a video posted on Instagram on Tuesday, Thrasher said the actions of the University and the federal government “effectively blacklisted” him from “all work in the formal economy in the United States.”
“I’m also mindful of the fact that this is much bigger than just me,” Thrasher said in the video. “If I don’t push back on this, many other people will be hurt.”
The University declined to comment on pending litigation.
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Related Stories:
— Medill denies tenure, intends to terminate Prof. Steven Thrasher next year
— Students protest at The Rock, demand transparency after Prof. Steven Thrasher’s classes canceled
— Medill investigates professor who participated in pro-Palestine encampment, cancels his classes
