1.. The granting of tenure is indeed measured by more than just how smart
a fellow is and the number of words he has written. And surely any
consideration of whether a tenure case has been decided fairly must also
take into account the academic tenor of the institution making the decision.

So making an informed judgment would require taking a hard look at the
quality of the presses and journals that Beckwith has published with, as
well as the records of his peers at Baylor. This would surely be better than
an “inclination” to doubt Beckwith’s case based upon the word of that
ever-so-objective and fair-minded observer, Brian Leiter.

Speaking of Leiter, he rightly makes note of his work being published by
Cambridge Press. Rumor has it Cambridge is a high quality establishment.
Beckwith’s latest book is being published by . . . Cambridge University
Press. They must think more highly of Beckwith than Professor Leither does.
I’m inclined to trust them more than I do Professor Leiter, but you and your
readers can make your own judgment on that score.

Beckwith’s other publications can be found here:
http://www3.baylor.edu/~Francis_Beckwith/publications.html.

The list includes articles published in journals at Harvard, Notre Dame,
various respectable law schools, Baylor’s own Journal of Church and State,
and various religious journals. While it’s undoubtedly the case that Leiter
and those who share his philosophical outlook would look down on many of the
religious outlets, surely Baylor has no warrant to do so.

And that’s really the rub. Beckwith’s record is far and away in the very
top tier of professors currently at Baylor. He has published in a range of
venues, and that range includes excellent presses and journals, and many
mid-range journals. While I suppose one could quibble over what counts as
“low-quality”, I submit that a fair reading of the works cited in the link
above, along with a consideration of Baylor’s standing in academia, would
put the burden of proof back upon those who deny Beckwith a place at Baylor.

And yes, since it will be brought up, I am his former graduate assistant. But just to summarize, the quality of publication has never been in doubt by anyone in the process. One might start by comparing Beckwith’s publications to his peers at Baylor before issuing the kind of statements you’ve made here.