The extraordinary outpouring of support on American college campuses for the events of October 7 has, unsurprisingly, led to some backlash from alumni, donors and prospective employers. Major donors to elite institutions realize that something has gone terribly wrong on college campuses and have reconsidered their support. Major law firms have questioned whether students involved in such political activities would be acceptable employees.
Judges are also reassessing. Judge James Ho became the face of a threatened conservative judicial boycott of hiring Yale law students as law clerks after several high-profile attacks on conservative students’ speech. Yale Law School has taken steps to improve the situation.
Judges look at the actions of students in the aftermath of October 7 and draw a line in the sand for those who would take action. Judge Matthew Solomson said:
To me, it’s a simple statement that, just as no judge would hire someone who supports the KKK or the Nazis, neither should anyone who supports, condones, or otherwise gives comfort – in writing – to Hamas.
Sarah Isgur reports on the Advisory Opinions podcast that Judge Lee Rudofsky has written to his own future clerks asking them to confirm that they did not tolerate the October 7 massacre or engage in acts of anti-Semitism or Islamophobia. He aptly added that he had no problem with his future clerks holding or expressing a wide range of views on the Israeli-Palestinian situation and the current war, as long as they stopped celebrating or advocating the target of kidnappings of civilians. torture or death.
I would expect other judges to consider similar steps in light of what we have seen in the past month.