IU Maurer professor under Title IX investigation

Associate law professor Ian Samuel, who joined the faculty at Indiana University Maurer School of Law this fall and is a co-host of the popular "First Mondays" podcast on the U.S. Supreme Court, is under investigation for alleged Title IX violations, according to Indiana University.

A university spokesman confirmed a Title IX investigation regarding Samuel has been opened within the last couple of weeks but declined to provide any details about why the investigation was launched. The spokesman also could not confirm that Samuel has been placed on administrative and an inquiry to IU Maurer Law School was not returned by IL deadline. Title IX generally bars sex discrimination in public education institutions.

“Indiana University’s Office of Institutional Equity has begun a Title IX investigation,” IU Spokesman Chuck Carney stated in an email. “As with any ongoing Title IX investigation, we cannot comment on aspects of this personnel matter. We take these processes very seriously and will determine the facts in this case.”

Carney did not speculate how long the investigation could take, saying that depends on the specifics of the case and the number of people that have to be interviewed. The outcome of the investigation could cover a “wide range” of possibilities but, again, Carney did not want to speak as to what could happen.

The National Law Journal reported that IU Maurer Dean Austen Parrish told students in an email that Samuel has “voluntarily checked himself into a hospital.” 

First Mondays’ co-hosts, Dan Epps, associate professor at Washington University Law School, and Leah Litman, visiting clinical professor at Stanford Law School, posted a message on Twitter Saturday about the situation. They said they did not know any details about the allegations and were unaware of the investigation until they saw the media reports.

“… (W)e take this situation very seriously,” Epps and Litman tweeted. “We haven’t spoken to Ian, but our expectation is that Ian will remain on leave from First Mondays at least as long as IU’s investigation continues. We understand he is currently seeking medical treatment and we hope he gets whatever help he needs.”

Samuel came to IU Maurer after having lectured at Harvard Law School and clerked for the late Justice Antonin Scalia.  In speaking with Indiana Lawyer about First Mondays, Samuel said he decided to join IU Maurer because of the faculty. He described his colleagues as “extraordinary” and he felt he had to “work hard to keep up with them.”