Federal judges announce they will no longer hire Columbia graduates, starting with the class of 2024

As Columbia University was overrun by pro-Palestinian students in recent weeks, the repercussions for future graduates are only beginning to become clear.

A group of conservative federal judges told New York University that it started and inspired copycat pro-Palestinian camps that won't hire any of the school's graduates from the class of 2024.

In a letter to Columbia University President Minouche Shafik and Columbia Law School Dean Gillian Lester, the panel of 13 federal judges explained the boycott and accused Columbia of becoming an “incubator of bigotry” .

Consequences ⚖️

13 federal judges say they will no longer hire employees from Columbia Law School OR Columbia College after the university's abysmal response to pro-Hamas camp and anti-Semitism on campus. pic.twitter.com/yBXxDIxqmo

— Shelley G (@ShelleyGldschmt) May 6, 2024

“As judges who hire lawyers every year to serve on the federal judiciary, we have lost confidence in Columbia as an institution of higher learning,” they said, calling on the Ivy League school to become “ground zero for the explosion of student disruptions.” , anti-Semitism and hatred of diverse points of view”.

“Columbia has become an incubator of bigotry,” they wrote. “As a result, Columbia has disqualified itself from educating our country's future leaders.”

“Free speech protects protests, not intrusions, and certainly not acts or threats of violence or terrorism. Speech is not violence, and violence is not speech. Universities that take academic freedom seriously they understand the difference and enforce the rules accordingly,” the judges' letter said.

“It has become clear that Columbia applies a double standard when it comes to free speech and student misconduct. If Columbia had faced an uprising on campus by religious conservatives upset that they see abortion as a tragic genocide, we have no doubt that the university's response would have been profoundly different,” they added.

The conservative justices presented the school with three steps to reverse the current climate, including imposing “serious consequences for students and faculty who have engaged in campus disruptions and violated established rules regarding the use of facilities facilities and public spaces of the university and threats against their colleagues. university community”.

They also called for “neutrality and nondiscrimination in the protection of free speech and the enforcement of campus rules of conduct.”

U.S. Rep. Pat Cammack was pleased with the accountability, telling Fox Business that there are likely many more companies that won't hire the student activists when they graduate.

“For these students who want to protest and do stupid things, play stupid games, win stupid prizes,” the Florida Republican said.

“For these students who want to protest and do stupid things, you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes,” Rep. Cammack says of reports that federal judges won't hire Columbia University students. Take a listen. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/yVo8Yk2T0J

— Rep. Cammack's Press Office (@RepKatCammack) May 8, 2024

“Had Columbia faced a campus uprising by religious conservatives upset that they see abortion as a tragic genocide, we have no doubt that the university's response would have been profoundly different,” the judges' letter argues. “By favoring certain viewpoints over others based on their popularity and acceptance in certain circles, Columbia has failed as a legitimate institution of higher education, never mind the elite.”

They also pointed out the need to reach out to teachers.

“Recent events demonstrate that the ideological homogeneity throughout the Columbia institution has destroyed its ability to train future leaders of a pluralistic and intellectually diverse country,” they wrote. “Both faculty and administrators are on the front lines of campus disruptions, encouraging the virulent spread of anti-Semitism and bigotry. A significant and dramatic change in the makeup of your faculty and administration is required to restore trust in Columbia.”

“The goal of our boycott is different: It is not to impede academic freedom, but to restore it to Columbia University,” the letter concluded.

Senior Staff Writer
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida, where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

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