FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2025
Contact:
Jon-Austen Linch
Lieutenant Governor Leslie Rutledge Calls for Investigation of Law Professor Who Celebrated Political Assassination
Little Rock, AR — Today, Lieutenant Governor Leslie Rutledge released a formal letter to the Dean of the William H. Bowen School of Law calling for the immediate investigation of Assistant Professor Felicia Branch.
Professor Branch teaches the Tax Clinic at Bowen Law. On her personal Facebook page, celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Branch invoked Scripture to justify retribution, compared those who mourned Kirk’s death to Klansmen burning crosses, and suggested that this assassination has made the world “more balanced.”
“A public employee entrusted with preparing the next generation of lawyers cannot also be someone who publicly glorifies an assassination of a fellow American based on that person’s political beliefs or statements,” said Lt. Governor Ruteldge. “These statements are incompatible with the values of higher education, the legal profession, and the rule of law. Political disagreements must never be grounds for celebrating violence against fellow Americans.”
Lieutenant Governor Rutledge emphasized that this should serve as a broader warning to all public employees:
“Encouraging violence against anyone because of their political beliefs will not be tolerated. As Lieutenant Governor, I will use my position to advocate for the investigation of any public employee who promotes or condones violence toward their fellow Americans based on political disagreement. There is no place for that extremist rhetoric in our classrooms, our government, or our public institutions.”
The full letter sent to the Dean is attached.