During the past decade, an increasing number of medical schools have faced legal challenges to faculty decisions concerning the evaluation and dismissal of students. These lawsuits have arisen in part from greater student access to and challenge of their educational records,1 competition for residency positions, and use of the courts to resolve conflicts. Confrontations with students often leave faculty believing that if they fail a student they are at risk of continued harassment or, even worse, court action. These concerns may be overcome by a clearer understanding of what authority, responsibility, and protection faculty members have in evaluating and dismissing . . .