Supreme Court clarifies how public employers must handle terminations—HR teams take note
A North Carolina university’s firing of a tenured professor over alleged misconduct led to a key court ruling on due process in public sector terminations.
On October 17, 2025, the Supreme Court of North Carolina issued its decision in the dispute between Dr. Alvin Mitchell and the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. The case focused on whether Winston-Salem State University followed its own procedures when it terminated Dr. Mitchell, and how courts should review a public employer’s interpretation of its own regulations.
Dr. Mitchell, a tenured professor, was dismissed in 2017 after the university alleged he failed to respond to repeated inquiries from a student and faculty members about incomplete grading, did not teach one of his assigned classes, and wrote a letter to a fellow faculty member that used offensive racial slurs. Mitchell challenged his dismissal, claiming the university did not follow its established rules and regulations for terminating a tenured professor.
The dispute moved through the university’s internal appeal process, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, and then to the courts. At each stage, Dr. Mitchell’s challenge was rejected. He also filed a federal civil rights lawsuit, which was dismissed.
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