According to a recent report from Sofia Bueno with Texas Tech’s Daily Toreador, law school student Ellie May Fisher, who faced a disciplinary hearing after being accused of an Honor Code Violation was found guilty of professional misconduct on March 11, over her social media comments about the assassination of Charlie Kirk, which prompted a school investigation.
The move was part of larger state and national efforts to impose punishment for teachers and others who expressed a negative opinion about the famously divisive Kirk.
According to her law clerk biography, Fisher hails from rural Santa Clara County, California, and opted to attend Texas Tech’s Davis College of Agriculture, where she earned her undergraduate degree.
After graduating in 2023, she began to pursue a Juris Doctorate at Texas Tech’s law school, and is slated to complete her courses in May.
Fisher has actively engaged with the community as a standout student and leader, working to establish Tech’s inaugural nationally recognized chapter of the NAACP, while also advocating for a variety of marginalized individuals and communities.
Charlie Kirk was a 31-year-old podcaster who was considered a leading firebrand among young Republicans, and repeatedly made inflammatory statements, and repeated racist tropes that stereotype blacks and LGBTQ+, just to name a couple. He also called the Civil Rights Act of 1964 a mistake, and regularly made disparaging remarks about leaders of non-white communities, while promoting Christian nationalism, advancing COVID-19 misinformation and repeating false claims of electoral fraud in the 2020 elections.
According to the report, Fisher will be able to graduate from Tech, but the investigation will remain on her record, and may affect her as she applies for licensure according to Garrett Gravley, program counselor for Campus Rights advocacy at FIRE.
Bueno quoted an earlier statement from Fisher’s attorney: “Simply put, the witness testimony showed that Ellie Fisher’s accusers are simply enraged that she does not share their viewpoints. They demand that this young, talented black attorney be silenced before her career even begins.”
The report stated that Fisher and her attorney have the option to appeal the Honor Council system or file an injunction.
