On March 19, 1953, Abraham Glasser, Associate Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School, Newark, was suspended by Rutgers University President Lewis Webster Jones, following his refusal to answer questions before the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities (also known as the Velde Committee) concerning possible Communist Party affiliations . It was Jones' opinion, which he pronounced in his statement of March 19, that Glasser's conduct "raises grave doubt" concerning his "fitness for his position".
On April 29, 1953, Jones referred the case to the Faculty Committee of Review of the Law School of Rutgers "for hearing, consideration, and recommendation to the Board of Trustees".
Jones charged Glasser with violating both University statute 3.92, which required proper conduct as a citizen, a professor, and a representative of the University, and the policy of the Board of Trustees' resolution of Dec. 12, 1952; The resolution required of automatic dismissal of faculty and staff for invoking the fifth amendment in refusal to answer questions relating to Communist Party affiliation. Jones asked the Faculty Committee to act as an advisory body in recommending to the Trustees whether 1) Glasser had violated the policy of the Trustees' resolution of Dec. 12, 1952, and 2) If so, whether there are any unusual circumstances in the case because of which the fixed policy should not apply.
The members of the Committee followed a strict interpretation of the questions and did not consider it their responsibility to judge Glasser's fitness as a teacher or a lawyer. They also rejected making a value judgement on the Trustees' fixed policy, as Glasser would have them do, as they regarded it as a law of the University. The Committee found it to be a prima facie case, as the Trustees' resolution established so strong a policy that they could not find that any unusual circumstances could outweigh Glasser's violation of it. The Committee recommended that Glasser should be allowed to resign without prejudice.
From the guide to the Inventory to the Rutgers University School of Law. Committe of Review. Transcripts of the Hearings Regarding The Suspension of Abraham Glasser, May-June, 1953, (Rutgers University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives.)
