Law Dean faces fresh backlash over report he advised Trump on overturning election

Critics say Mark Martin — a former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and former dean of Regent University School of Law — is an inappropriate choice for the role because he reportedly advised former President Donald Trump on possible ways to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

Is allowance instantly strangers applauded

North Carolina’s High Point University is facing pushback over its choice for the founding dean of the law school it plans to open as early as 2024.

Critics say Mark Martin — a former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and former dean of Regent University School of Law — is an inappropriate choice for the role because he reportedly advised former President Donald Trump on possible ways to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.

“If you support the U.S. Constitution, you can’t support Mark Martin,” said Blair Reeves, executive director of liberal nonprofit Carolina Forward, which on Tuesday launched a public campaign to pressure the university to part ways with Martin.

Neither Martin nor representatives for Trump responded to requests for comment Wednesday. High Point University issued a statement that Martin came highly recommended by other law deans and leaders from "both sides of the political spectrum."

The university said that Martin is not among the more than 1,000 people that have been interviewed by the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

"Unless legal due process has rendered proof of anything illegal, then decisions cannot be made based merely on hearsay and media reports," the statement said.

The New York Times reported that Martin served as an informal advisor to Trump in the days following the election and supported an unsuccessful lawsuit that sought to overturn Joe Biden’s wins in Georgia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

The Times also reported that Martin told Trump that then-Vice President Mike Pence had the power to reject state election returns — a move Pence rejected.

The Washington Post reported that Trump spoke with Martin on Jan. 6, 2021, the day Trump supporters overran the U.S. Capitol. Martin has repeatedly declined to comment publicly about his involvement.

Martin’s appointment as dean has raised eyebrows since it was announced in June. Last month, the editorial board of the nearby Greensboro News & Record chided Martin and the university for failing to "address the brontosaurus in the room."

Carolina Forward intensified the debate Tuesday when it purchased an interstate billboard near High Point University saying, “Mark Martin betrayed our constitution.”

The billboard was timed to coincide with High Point University students’ arrival for the new school year, Reeves said.