Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas will not be co-teaching a Constitutional Law Seminar at the George Washington University this fall.

“Justice Thomas informed GW Law that he is unavailable to co-teach a Constitutional Law Seminar this fall,” reads a statement provided by a university spokesperson. “The students were promptly informed of Justice Thomas’ decision by his co-instructor who will continue to offer the seminar this fall.”

That co-instructor is Judge Gregory Maggs, who clerked for Thomas and has taught the class with him since at least 2012.

According to the GW Hatchet, which first reported the story, Thomas’ withdrawal comes a month after 11,000 people signed a Change.org petition calling to remove him from his GW position because of his role in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, overturning Roe v. Wade. Thomas was one of six justices who voted in favor of the decision, and in his opinion, wrote that the same rationale could be applied to such decisions as those affirming the right to contraception and same-sex marriage.

“With the recent Supreme Court decision that has stripped the right to bodily autonomy of people with wombs, and with his explicit intention to further strip the rights of queer people and remove the ability for people to practice safe sex without fear of pregnancy, it is evident that the employment of Clarence Thomas at George Washington University is completely unacceptable,” the petition reads.

University officials said they would not remove Thomas in response to the petition, adding that while Thomas’ views do not represent those of GW Law or the university, keeping Thomas on board encourages intellectual curiosity and debate, which is central to GW’s educational philosophy.

GW Law and the university did not say Thomas’ unavailability and consequent withdrawal was due to the backlash he faced over Dobbs or the petition.

Local backlash against conservative Supreme Court justices who ruled against Roe v. Wade has been ongoing since June. In the Montgomery County, Md. neighborhood of Chevy Chase, protests outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house became a frequent occurrence earlier this month.

GW’s assistant director of media relations, Tim Pierce, declined to provide additional information on Thomas’ withdrawal. Thomas’ representatives, Maggs, and GW Law Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew did not immediately respond to requests for comment.