After Renowned Psychologist Testifies at Weinstein Trial, NYU Revokes Invitation

Elizabeth Loftus is perhaps one of the world’s most renowned cognitive psychologists. She is a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of California-Irvine where she lectures about the cognitive sciences and in the law school. She has influenced the field with decades of research focusing on the malleability of memory. She has written 23 books and has been awarded seven doctoral degrees for her achievements.

Dr. Loftus is what anyone would call an expert.

And, because of her expertise, New York University’s psychology department invited her to speak as part of NYU’s Distinguished Lecture Series in September of 2019. The series focuses on “especially those at the forefront of interdisciplinary research and perspectives that bridge across multiple areas of psychology.”

In his invitation letter, associate professor of psychology and neural science Jon Freeman wrote that he and his colleagues had “recently polled the faculty as to scientists they would like to invite for this series, and you were voted for by a large number of faculty” and that they “would be thrilled” to have Loftus visit.

All seemed well and good; Loftus’ appearance was set for April 2020 and preparations were beginning, including the university purchasing Loftus’ plane tickets.

However, on February 6th, the Los Angeles Times published an article that highlighted Loftus’ upcoming role as an expert witness in the Harvey Weinstein trial. The article explained that she would testify as an expert on memory called by the defense the next day—which she did.

The same day as the L.A. Times article was published, however, Loftus received a curt email from Ben Rehder, the chair of the NYU psychology department, telling her that her distinguished lecture had been canceled.

After reaching out to the department multiple times for further explanation and receiving no reply, Loftus got suspicious that this had to do with her role as an expert witness in the Weinstein trial. She eventually sent another email asking outright if the cancellation of her lecture was in response to her taking on this witness capacity. She again received no reply and has not received one at the time of this article’s publication.

It has become somewhat of a recent trend to punish scholars who use their expertise to serve in unpopular legal roles. Universities are quick to concede to the political pressure that follows. Last year, for instance, Harvard dismissed then-faculty dean Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. after students protested his role as a defense attorney in the Harvey Weinstein case—the same case that Loftus was called upon to testify as an expert witness.

Expertise does not wane in the face of controversy—it is arguably needed most at such times. At moments of great controversy, or trials where the crimes at hand are the most egregious, expertise is fundamental to articulating the proper course of action. To do without the resource of the expert’s knowledge at a time when truth is most needed, when lives are irrevocably shaped, is immensely irresponsible of any legitimate liberal society.

But there is a broader issue.

If academics are not allowed to take on expert roles in society, what ought they participate in? Social norms ought to encourage—not disparage or condemn—academics who take on active roles in public that highlight their specialized knowledge.

Having a PhD should reach beyond the halls of ivory towers. It should be the symbol of an individual who has dedicated her life to the advancement of human understanding.

In an interview conducted for this article, Loftus’ asks her critics, “Do we really want to live in a world where the media determines who is guilty and who is not? Do we want a system with mob justice; a system without witnesses, without documents?”

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