Law Schools

Law School Professor Has New Murder Mystery About Genius, Influential Law Professor Who Is Suspiciously Just Like Him

Law professor who quit Twitter in a temper tantrum is back with a new book.

By  
on

Earlier this year, the conservative Edmund Burke Society at the University of Chicago advertised an event to discuss whether or not immigrants were “toilet people.” In the uproar, the group’s defenders sloughed off the controversy as “just a joke” and argued that there was no consequence to trafficking in this sort of rhetoric. After all, the Trump administration is to be taken seriously, not literally! That seems to be panning out…

Anyway, chief among the Society’s defenders was Professor M. Todd Henderson, who intended to make the libertarian argument in favor of immigration at the Burke event, but nevertheless felt the need to defend the vile promotional rhetoric and then whine like a toddler that people are too mean to conservatives — the real victims here! When one student astutely called out this hogwash, Professor Henderson took his bat and ball and went home, quitting Twitter in a huff and writing me a comically nasty email for chronicling the affair and noting the contemptuous trend of conservative professors to hijack the language of discrimination to vent their hurt feelings.

Apparently, that time away from Twitter has helped Professor Henderson write a murder mystery coming out in October called Mental State. Let’s walk through the publicity blurb:

When conservative law professor Alex Johnson is found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound at his house in Chicago, everyone thinks it is suicide. Everyone except his brother, Royce, an FBI agent.

The victim isn’t usually the Mary Sue, so this book is already turning the tables on us!

Without jurisdiction or leads, Agent Johnson leaves his cases and family to find out who killed his brother.

Um, what happened to FEDERALISM!?!?! Don’t tread on me, Henderson!

Sponsored

There are many suspects: the ex-wife, an ambitious doctor with expensive tastes and reasons to hate her ex;

Several years ago, Professor Henderson argued that he was basically poor since he and his wife only made $250,000/year. The median household income in Chicago is around $66K, by the way. So given that the author doesn’t think $250K doesn’t lend itself to extravagant living, this doctor must have really wild tastes. Like fois gras force-fed whale meat or something.

academic rivals on a faculty divided along political lines;

Apparently, the contemptuous trend of conservative professors to hijack the language of discrimination to vent about needing “viewpoint diversity” isn’t just about their hurt feelings — they really think they’re about to get offed by their equal protection loving colleagues.

an African-American student who failed the professor’s course.

Sponsored

Oh I’m sure this plotline won’t be cringeworthy.

Charitably, this suspect may be heroically spared by the FBI agent after racist local cops finger the kid based on lazy investigating and racism, but even in that case we’re going to have a healthy dose of old-fashioned Mismatch psuedo-science about black students not being smart enough to pass law school. We’ve already had our fill of that from Penn Law’s Amy Wax resurfacing to spout off about the conspiracy keeping her from finding the first shred of evidence to back her bias.

As Agent Johnson peels back layers of mystery in his rogue investigation, the brother he never really knew emerges. Clues lead from the ivy-covered elite university and the halls of power in Washington to the gritty streets of Chicago and Lahore, Pakistan. Ultimately, Agent Johnson must face the question of how far he is willing to go to catch his brother’s killer.

Spoiler: the character who is exactly like Professor Henderson was the most important person in global politics when he wasn’t failing black students.

Mental State is about two brothers learning about each other in death….

No. No, it isn’t. It’s about one brother learning about the other in death. The dead brother isn’t learning anything. Unless it’s all been a setup and the genius, unfairly maligned, globally influential law professor faked his death, of course. But the marketing blurb wouldn’t give away the plot, would it?

We all hope the tales of Royce Johnson catch the literary world by fire. After all, Professor Henderson is barely keeping the lights on with his meager $250K over there.

Earlier: Crybaby Law Professor Quits Twitter In A Huff Over UChicago Immigration Slur Debacle
UChicago Student President’s Letter Eviscerates Administration Over Repeated Failures
UChicago Law Responds To Race-Baiting Student Event With ‘Fine People On Both Sides’ Schtick
You Should Absolutely Read This Insane Law School Event Promo Calling Immigrants Toilet People
Immigrant Student Rejects University of Chicago Law After Trashy Burke Society Response, School Responds With Mild Stalking
UChicago Administration Doubles Down On Mocking Immigrants — So Much For That ‘Environment Of Inclusion’ They Said Was So Important
Earning $250,000 Does Not Make You Rich, Not in My Town

HeadshotJoe Patrice is an editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.

Topics

, , ,