A group of 13 U.S. federal judges has vowed to not hire law students from New York City’s Columbia University due to the school’s facilitation of pro-Hamas protests.
The judges, who were all appointed by President Donald Trump, made the pledge in response to Columbia’s handling of the anti-Israel protests that ultimately led to an academic hall being occupied.
The declaration was made in a letter obtained by Reuters which was addressed to Columbia University President Minouche Shafik and Law Dean Gillian Lester.
The 13 conservative judges said they lost confidence in the university as an institution of higher education.
They warn that the prestigious college has now become “an incubator of bigotry.”
“Since the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, Columbia University has become ground zero for the explosion of student disruptions, antisemitism, and hatred for diverse viewpoints on campuses across the nation,” the letter reads.
“Disruptors have threatened violence, committed assaults, and destroyed property.
“As a result, Columbia has disqualified itself from educating the future leaders of our country.”
The judges offered the administrators guidance on how the university could reclaim its “once-distinguished” reputation.
They started by recommending punishing students and faculty with profound consequences for those who participated in campus disruptions and violated established rules regarding the use of university facilities and public spaces as well as threats against fellow members of the school community.
They explained that in the past, citizens were warned that trespassing on public spaces was enough to warrant incarceration.
The same conduct should warrant lesser measures like expulsion or termination, they note.
“After all, elite universities purport to train not just law-abiding citizens but future leaders,” the letter reads.
“Universities should also identify students who engage in such conduct so that future employers can avoid hiring them.”
The judges also offered their stance on free speech, saying the university should offer neutrality and nondiscrimination when protecting free speech and enforcing the rules of conduct on campus.
They note that, while the students have a right to express their opinions, free speech doesn’t allow them to commit crimes such as vandalism or trespassing.
“Freedom of speech protects protest, not trespass, and certainly not acts or threats of violence or terrorism,” the judges wrote.
“Speech is not violence, and violence is not speech.
“It has become clear that Columbia applies double standards when it comes to free speech and student misconduct.
“By favoring certain viewpoints over others based on their popularity and acceptance in certain circles, Columbia has failed as a legitimate, never mind elite, institution of higher education,” they added.
Additionally, the judges suggested the school change the composition of its faculty and administration to restore confidence in Columbia.
Recent events show that “ideological homogeneity” throughout the university “has destroyed its ability to train future leaders of a pluralistic and intellectually diverse country.”
Administrators and professors have been on the front lines of the protests, the judges wrote, while encouraging the spread of bigotry and antisemitism.
“Considering recent events, and absent extraordinary change, we will not hire anyone who joins the Columbia University community – whether as undergraduates or law students – beginning with the entering class of 2024,” the letter reads, noting that the objective is not to hamper academic freedom but instead to restore it at Columbia.
Federal judges tend to hire from top-tier schools like Columbia.
However, the school has now become the poster child for everything that has gone wrong in academia.
