Alan recently argued a case before the state Supreme Court that was as politically significant as it was legally esoteric.  On May 4, 2017, the Court issued a decision in our favor and in favor of public university faculty in general who experience discrimination.  Though it may sound obvious, the question came down to whether a university’s decision to deny tenure is an exercise of free speech, preventing the out-of-a-job professor from suing for discrimination.  That issue was one employment lawyers have been watching closely as it worked its way through the appellate courts with conflicting decisions coming down in different cases.  The decision should be applicable to other public employees who experienced discrimination as well.  California’s Anti-SLAPP statute, designed to protect against lawsuits filed in retaliation against the exercise of free speech, has been interpreted and reinterpreted since its inception.  Now, at least one thing is clear: the decision to deny tenure is not protected free speech within the meaning of the Anti-SLAPP statute.  News about this case