Denied tenure and alleging discrimination, Northwestern University professor sues school and government officials

A Northwestern University professor filed a federal lawsuit alleging that, under pressure from federal officials, the school denied him tenure in retaliation for his pro-Palestinian activism and on-campus speech.

Steven Thrasher, an assistant professor and the Daniel H. Renberg Chair of social justice in reporting, accused the university of breaching his employment contract, including alleged violations of his academic freedom, denying his tenure appeal and terminating his chair position before the end of his term in August 2028. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, also alleges Thrasher faced discrimination based on his sexual orientation, race, and association with Palestinian people, and retaliation for speech that is protected under the First Amendment.

Also being sued are U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, a Republican from Michigan and the chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce; U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon; acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche; and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Thrasher faced multiple internal disciplinary investigations and was suspended in the wake of on-campus protests against the Israel-Hamas War in 2024, according to court filings reviewed by the Tribune. Thrasher was involved in the 2024 student-led encampment, giving a speech in solidarity with Palestinians and linking arms with other faculty and staff to form a barrier between students and NU police.

The lawsuit alleges that federal pressure on the university following the encampments led to Thrasher’s suspension, internal disciplinary charges, denial of tenure and upcoming termination.

Thrasher was appointed to the chair position in 2019, with his work centering on issues relevant to the LGBTQ community and social justice according to the Northwestern website. He told the Tribune on Thursday that filing the lawsuit is “not an easy thing to do,” but he looks forward to making his case on his day in court.

“It feels good to go on offense since it’s been a long time that the federal government and Northwestern has been trying to hurt me, and so it feels good to stand up and say, ‘This is not legal or constitutional so we will fight back,’” Thrasher said.

The suit further alleges Thrasher was “robbed” of his “successful academic career and livelihood” by the university and government officials, the result 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.”

The U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services launched investigations into Northwestern and other universities after the widespread political protests in 2024, including direct questions about Thrasher’s involvement.

According to the lawsuit, Thrasher was temporarily suspended from teaching in July 2024, and multiple disciplinary cases were opened against him that lasted into 2025.

The first case was based on allegations that his encampment speech violated the university’s “Civility and Mutual Respect” policy. A university committee found no basis for disciplinary action and the initial case was closed in January 2025.

A second case — also relating to the encampment — was launched that same month. The suit alleges that the temporary suspension violated due process protections outlined in the university’s faculty handbook.

Court filings also claim that Thrasher was informed on March 12, 2025, that he was denied promotion and tenure, a decision he allegedly appealed multiple times to no avail. The lawsuit further alleges that the university did not allow a substantive review of his tenure appeal and violated Northwestern’s appeal guidelines.

According to the lawsuit, Thrasher was set to return to teaching on April 1, 2025, but was allegedly informed the day before by Charles Whitaker, dean of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, that he was being removed from teaching and would not be assigned classes to teach in the 2025-26 academic year amid concerns about his “presence with students in our community.”

The lawsuit also alleges Northwestern breached Thrasher’s contract by “refusing to allow him to teach during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years even though he had not been found to have committed misconduct.”

The filing comes weeks before Thrasher’s employment with the university is set to officially end. Faculty who are denied tenure from the university are terminated from employment at the end of the academic year following the tenure denial, according to the suit, meaning Thrasher’s employment at Northwestern ends on Aug. 31.

The lawsuit further alleges that the university’s actions have “effectively blacklisted” Thrasher from academia and that he “has been unable to secure a comparable position, causing irreversible economic and reputational harm” along with emotional distress.

Thrasher is seeking compensation and to be reinstated in a tenured position at the university and if not, be paid an amount equal to the wages and benefits he would be expected to receive over the course of his career in a similar position.

The suit also requests injunctions to prevent future faculty terminations and speech suppression on campus. Thrasher is also seeking to invalidate the 2025 agreement reached between the university and the federal government to settle allegations of antisemitism and restore federal funding.

Northwestern declined to comment on pending litigation.

One of Thrasher’s “biggest hopes” is that the case can set a legal precedent for potential instances of discrimination when people speak out on contested topics. And that race, gender and sexuality shouldn’t play a role in who is being punished.

The case could also help prevent similar situations from repeating elsewhere, Thrasher said. Should he win his case, he added, he would feel good “standing up to the interference from the government.”

“You can look at my issue, you can share my politics or not share my politics, but I think that a lot of people would agree that members of the U.S. government, the House of Representatives, or Cabinet secretary should not be deciding who is and who is not teaching at university campuses, depending on whether their politics are in favor or out of favor,” Thrasher said.

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