Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas says he won’t be teaching at the George Washington University Law School in the fall, a decision coming in the wake of protests over his concurring opinion overturning Roe vs. Wade, which supported a woman’s right to have an abortion.
Thomas, the longest-serving member of the high court, has taught at the school since 2011. He was scheduled to serve as the lead instructor for a seminar this fall with Gregory Maggs, a judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces.
“Justice Thomas informed GW Law that he is unavailable to co-teach a constitutional law seminar this fall,” said a university spokesperson in a statement, Yahoo News reported Wednesday.
The spokesperson didn’t elaborate on when Thomas may return to teaching.
Thomas’s departure comes after some students at the school demanded his resignation because of the Roe vs. Wade decision. A petition calling for his removal had generated more than 11,000 signatures as of Wednesday.
However, GW Provost Christopher Bracey and the law school dean, Dayna Bowen, reportedly refused to fire Thomas and said he had the right to academic freedom like other scholars.