Reilly Stephens
Reilly Stephens is a Senior Counsel at Liberty Justice Center, where he assists in cases to protect the rights to free speech, economic liberty, private property, and other Constitutional rights in courts across the country.
On February 10, the Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit against the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) on behalf of a professor whose contract was terminated after he criticized the university’s racially discriminatory hiring programs.
Professor Stephen Kleinschmit holds a PhD in Public Administration and was a clinical associate professor in the University of Illinois Chicago’s Department of Public Policy, Management, and Analytics (PPMA) until August 2023. During his time at UIC, he became concerned about the university’s fixation on race when interviewing and hiring faculty—and quickly realized that multiple university programs were illegal under federal law because they regularly used race as a primary or even exclusive factor in hiring decisions.
Professor Kleinschmit objected to these illegal practices and expressed concerns about the discriminatory nature of various university programs to his colleagues and university leadership. On August 15, 2023, the university terminated his contract.
The Liberty Justice Center’s lawsuit alleges that UIC retaliated against Professor Kleinschmit for criticizing its illegal acts of discrimination against its employees and potential applicants—in blatant violation of the right to equal protection under the law. The lawsuit also alleges that university administrators purposely withheld notification of his contract nonrenewal until the academic hiring cycle was concluding, leaving him unemployed for an entire year.
As a public university, the University of Illinois Chicago is a state actor and therefore constitutionally required to respect the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause. By discriminating against employees and applicants on the basis of protected, immutable characteristics such as race—and by firing Professor Kleinschmit for objecting to this behavior—the university violated the Fourteenth Amendment and engaged in illegal retaliation.
The Liberty Justice Center’s lawsuit asks the court to order the university to halt its racially discriminatory hiring and retention practices. The suit also seeks financial compensation for the earnings and benefits Professor Kleinschmit lost due to UIC’s illegal actions.
“The University of Illinois Chicago repeatedly engaged in blatant acts of racial discrimination, then added illegal retaliation to the mix to avoid accountability for its unlawful behavior,” said Reilly Stephens, Senior Counsel at the Liberty Justice Center. “These actions are unacceptable violations of the right to equal protection under the law, and we urge the court to put a stop to it immediately.”
“I was fired for speaking out against illegal behavior by the university. I’m grateful to the Liberty Justice Center for taking a stand against institutional corruption and fighting for my constitutional and statutory rights,” said Professor Stephen Kleinschmit, plaintiff in the lawsuit.
Kleinschmit v. University of Illinois Chicago was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, on February 10, 2025.
Across the country, courageous educators are being denied promotions, stripped of leadership roles, and even fired—for refusing to conform to ideological mandates.
Reilly Stephens is a Senior Counsel at Liberty Justice Center, where he assists in cases to protect the rights to free speech, economic liberty, private property, and other Constitutional rights in courts across the country.
James McQuaid is the Managing Staff Attorney at Liberty Justice Center where he assists in cases to protect the rights to free speech, economic liberty, private property, and other Constitutional rights in courts across the country.
Public Policy Scholar. Veteran Educator. Accountability Advocate.
Professor Stephen Kleinschmit built his career studying public institutions—how they function, how they govern, and how they serve the public.
Holding a PhD in Public Administration, he taught future policymakers at the University of Illinois Chicago’s Department of Public Policy, Management, and Analytics. His professional life centered on governance, ethics, and lawful administration.
So when he observed hiring programs he believed relied heavily—or exclusively—on race, he viewed it through the lens he taught his students: public institutions must follow the law.
He raised concerns internally. He questioned whether the practices complied with federal civil rights protections. He spoke up as a scholar of public administration trained to identify institutional risk.
Shortly thereafter, his contract was terminated.
The timing left him without academic employment for an entire hiring cycle—effectively sidelining his career.
Professor Kleinschmit’s case is not just about one job. It’s about whether educators can question potentially unlawful conduct within public universities without facing professional retaliation.
He continues to speak out—not only for himself, but for the principle that equal protection under the law must apply within academia itself.
“I taught my students that institutions must follow the law. I was dismissed for expecting mine to do the same.”
(Campus Reform)—The Liberty Justice Center recently filed a lawsuit against the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), alleging that a professor was fired because he criticized the school’s hiring practices, which the professor believes are racially discriminatory. The federal lawsuit, which was filed on Feb. 10 in the Eastern Division of...
(Newsmax)—In an interview with Newsmax, Professor Stephen Kleinschmit and Senior Counsel Reilly Stephens discuss the Liberty Justice Center’s lawsuit against the University of Illinois Chicago—which fired Professor Kleinschmit for speaking out against its race-based hiring and retention practices. Learn more about the case here. The Liberty Justice Center never charges...
(The Lion)—A new lawsuit is challenging the University of Illinois over alleged racial discrimination in its hiring practices as national pushback against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs intensifies. Professor Stephen Kleinschmit, represented by the Liberty Justice Center, alleges he was fired from the University of Illinois Chicago in August...
(Fox News)—The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is facing a lawsuit over its racial hiring quotas after a former professor claimed he was illegally “retaliated” against for objecting to its allegedly discriminatory practices. Professor Stephen Kleinschmit was a clinical associate professor at UIC’s Department of Public Policy, Management and Analytics...
(The Center Square)—The Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit against the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) on behalf of a professor whose contract was terminated after he criticized the university’s hiring programs. Reilly Stephens, senior counsel at the Liberty Justice Center, explained professor Stephen Kleinschmit would speak out against illegal...
(The Free Beacon)—The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) was slapped with a lawsuit on Monday over a slew of race-based hiring programs that discriminate against white scholars, the latest sign that faculty hiring could become a target for litigants seeking to challenge racial preferences under the Trump administration. The plaintiff,...
(The Center Square)—A former University of Illinois Chicago professor is suing his former employer alleging the university fired him after he objected to what he describes as its racially discriminatory hiring practices. The Liberty Justice Center filed the lawsuit Monday on behalf of Stephen Kleinschmit, who was a clinical associate...