Mike Johnson was dean of law school that never opened

[Thiệu Ngô]

The Judge Paul Pressler School of Law never materialized, and its namesake was later accused of decades of sexual abuse.

By Joey Esposito


Claim:

Mike Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, was dean of a law school named after Judge Paul Pressler who was later accused of sexual abuse, but the school never officially opened.

Rating: True

In October 2025, a rumor circulated online that the U.S. Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, once served as the dean of a law school that never opened.

The claim alleged Johnson was dean for two years at Judge Paul Pressler School of Law, named for a high-profile leader in the Southern Baptist Convention who was later accused of sexual abuse.

Users on social media platforms like BlueSky , X and Facebook spread the rumor, sharing an image of Johnson with text that read, "The law school where Mike Johnson was Dean for 2yrs which never opened and had no students was called Judge Paul Pressler School of Law. The same Paul Pressler that headed the Southern Baptist Convention & who was accused by 6 males (including a child) of sexual misconduct."

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The claim that Johnson was named dean of Judge Paul Pressler School of Law was true, as were claims that the school never officially opened and that Pressler was later accused of sexual misconduct.

The school was intended to be a part of Louisiana Christian University (LCU), then called Louisiana College.

The official website of the Judge Paul Pressler School of Law is available to view on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, which includes a written message from Dean Mike Johnson along with his photograph.

In the message, Johnson called the practice of law "a high and noble calling," and that the goal of Louisiana College's new law school was "to train, equip and empower that next generation" of "conscientious lawyers and leaders."

Johnson's full message read:

There may never have been a greater need for good men and women to enter the legal profession. The law is a high and noble calling, and attorneys are provided a unique platform to pursue truth, serve society, and influence the culture. America needs its next generation of conscientious lawyers and leaders to embrace this responsibility, and enter the practice not just to make a living—but to make a difference.

The mission of the Louisiana College School of Law will be to train, equip and empower that next generation. A roster of enthusiastic and highly respected faculty and administrators, combined with the latest forms of technology and innovation, will enable us to offer a superior program of legal education that is centered upon time-honored tradition.

Our law students will benefit from a low student to faculty ratio, and the dedication and accessibility of full-time and adjunct professors, including judges and attorneys who are well-known leaders in their respective fields. Clinical and internship programs will enhance a well-rounded education, and our rigorous curriculum will be specifically designed to train every student in the practical skills of lawyering. Graduates will be prepared not only to provide exceptional service to their clients, but solid leadership to their communities.

The Louisiana College School of Law motto, "Unchanging Foundations," acknowledges the importance of transcendent truth, the deeply embedded moral and religious heritage of our nation, and the rule of law. If liberty is to be preserved, those foundations must once again be understood and embraced.

Our board and administration are thankful for the enthusiastic support we have received in this endeavor, and we look forward with great anticipation as we continue the exciting preparations for our Fall 2012 inaugural class and the accreditation process.

Thank you for your interest, and welcome to the Louisiana College School of Law.
A YouTube video published on Sept. 1, 2010, by the Wildcats Media YouTube channel, a page devoted to LCU's Wildcats and Lady Wildcats sports teams, featured Johnson making statements on his appointment as dean.

In the video, Johnson stood in front of a backdrop featuring the Louisiana College logo and began his nearly eight-minute speech by saying, "It's my great honor to accept this position and this challenge as serving as the founding dean of this great institution."

In addition, news outlets such as The Associated Press (AP), MSNBC and Business Insider reported on Johnson's time as dean following his election as Speaker of the House.

We've reached out to Johnson's office and LCU for comment on Johnson's time as dean of the defunct Judge Paul Pressler School of Law and will update this article if we hear back.

Why the school never opened

According to reporting by AP, Johnson "struggled to draw an adequate amount of cash while drama percolated behind the scenes" at the school.

Johnson walked into an already tenuous situation in which the board had been seized by conservatives who felt the college had become "too liberal," resulting in "policies that restricted academic freedoms, including the potential firing of instructors whose curriculum touched upon sexual morality or teachings contradictory to the Bible."

As a result, many members of the faculty and leadership resigned, leading to the election of new President Joe Aguillard in 2005.

According to Baptist News Global, Aguillard "set out to remake LC [Louisiana College] as a bastion of ardent theological and political conservatism" that would include "a medical school, a film school, a divinity school and an undergraduate center."

In 2011, LCU purchased a building in Shreveport, Louisiana, intended to house the new law school. The location was reportedly "dilapidated and filled with asbestos," leading to millions of dollars spent on renovations.

Coupled with Johnson's failed fundraising efforts and the school's inability to gain accreditation, the law school experiment "culminated in a flurry of lawsuits, including a whistleblower claim by a school vice president, who accused Aguillard of misappropriating money and lying to the board, according to court records," wrote AP. The board removed Aguillard as president in 2014.

In 2017, a man named Duane Rollins filed a lawsuit against the law school's namesake, Judge Paul Pressler, and accused him "of decades of rape," beginning at age 14.

The suit inspired at least seven other men to come forward with accusations, but no criminal charges were ever filed. According to The New York Times, Rollins made similar accusations of rape in 2003, but Pressler "quietly settled the suit for $450,000 in a mediation that also included a confidentiality agreement" in 2004.

Pressler died in 2024 at the age of 94.