Thirteen federal judges vowed on Monday to stop hiring Columbia University graduates as law clerks over the university’s recent failure in handling pro-Hamas demonstrations.
“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 judges wrote in a letter addressed to Columbia University President Minouche Shafik.
“Columbia has instead become an incubator of bigotry. As a result, Columbia has disqualified itself from educating the future leaders of our country.”
The letter was notably signed by federal appellate Judges James Ho and Elizabeth Branch, who had previously led boycotts of Yale and Stanford University law schools. It described the Ivy League school as “ground zero for the explosion of student disruptions, antisemitism, and hatred for diverse viewpoints on campuses across the Nation.”
Furthermore, the judges argued that unlawful trespassing and occupying public spaces puts future employment opportunities at risk and is sufficient grounds for incarceration.
“Universities should also identify students who engage in such conduct so that future employers can avoid hiring them,” the judges wrote. “If not, employers are forced to assume the risk that anyone they hire from Columbia may be one of these disruptive and hateful students.”
Earlier in the day, Columbia University announced its decision to cancel its main graduation ceremony as fears over disruptions from anti-Israel protests continue to grow.
