PUNCH BACK TWICE AS HARD: Prof prevails in FOIA fight for race-based admissions data: An extended legal battle between the University of Arkansas and one its law professors has come to a close after the school agreed to let him study the effects of race-based admissions policies. Prof. Robert Steinbuch also faced retaliation from colleagues, who complained that his research was “distressing” to students because it suggested that lower admissions standards result in lower bar-passage rates. Which, of course, they do.

And this illustrates that, as an administrator, it’s a really bad idea to pick a fight with a tenured professor. The Dean at UALR is stepping down, but Steinbuch’s still there. Sure, as a conservative he’s outnumbered on the faculty. But that doesn’t limit what he can do.

Back when I was a very new law professor and was briefly dating a secretary from another college, I remember she said that was the real power of tenure: You can’t get rid of them, and if they decide to make a hobby out of making your life miserable, well, they have a fair amount of free time to devote to it. . . .