Here from Kathy Young at Reason is a nuanced piece on recent contentious tenure decisions.

She cites UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh, who cuts to the chase. He observes, as Young writes

that while particular tenure cases are “highly fact-specific” and often murky, the overall issue of when a professor’s maverick views or abrasive style should affect the appraisal of his or her work is a thorny one: “The question is, how do you promote tolerance and diversity of ideas while maintaining judgment of quality.”