Bipolar Express

A nationally recognized expert on mental-health law who is also a longtime professor at the University of Idaho’s law school — and the author of Legal Reasoning and Coherence Theories: Dworkin's Rights Thesis, Retroactivity, and the Linear Order of Decisions and other works — 55-year-old Kenneth Kress attributes his recent malfeasance to ... problems with his own mental health. According to the Des Moines Register, “The Grievance Commission of the Iowa Supreme Court is recommending that the court suspend Kress' law license for at least one year” because of some pressuring his students to lie as well as lying, himself. “In April 2004, Kress allegedly distributed a questionnaire to 10 students.... He then replaced three of the completed surveys with three that he had filled out. He changed some of ratings on two other surveys from ‘average’ to ‘outstanding’ ... the changes raised Kress’ composite score, on a 5.0 scale, from 2.86 to 4.86. After U of I officials investigated the matter, Kress initially tried to shift suspicion to others. He ultimately resigned from the law school and, according to state records, he entered into a ‘confidential settlement agreement’ with the university. State payroll records show Kress was paid $250,000 last year — more than double the salary he was paid in 2005. One of Kress' former students, Jody Harris, testified in November before the grievance commission. She said that when Kress handed out the surveys in 2004, he told the class that his job was ‘on the line.’ She said Kress told the students other faculty members were trying to force him out and were intimidated by him because he was so much smarter.... Kress, who has bipolar disorder, ultimately admitted changing the students' evaluations of his performance and blamed his conduct on physical and mental illnesses. At the time of the incident, he was taking three mood stabilizers, two stimulants and a medication to help him sleep. One doctor who testified before the commission attributed Kress' actions to delirium and delusions. Another doctor disagreed, citing Kress' ‘fragile ego’ and an inability to tolerate negative reviews of any kind.” According to the Register, Kress resigned in January after making these very lucrative arrangements with the university: “Kress was promised ‘cash payments’ of $203,400. The university agreed to deposit $22,600 into Kress' retirement account. The university agreed to provide Kress with health insurance through June 2008.” Greeeeat. This is who we really need teaching the next generation of intellectuals — deluded, delirious lying cheaters with fragile egos. And we need to reward these lying cheaters with lots of cash. That’ll teach ‘em.