NYC Bar Association Blasts Federal Judges' Columbia Boycott Letter

National Law Journal, NYC Bar Association Condemns Federal Judges Over Letter to Columbia:

The New York City Bar Association on Monday condemned a group of federal judges for what the organization called “improper use of the judicial offices” over the judges’ recent letter stating they would no longer hire law clerks from Columbia University over its handling of the pro-Palestinian protests on campus this year.

The association’s statement came in response to the May 6 letter signed by 13 U.S. federal judges appointed by Donald Trump to Columbia University President Nemat “Minouche” Shafikand and Gillian Lester, dean of Columbia Law School.

The judges wrote that they won’t hire anyone who enrolls in Columbia as an undergraduate or law student beginning with the entering class of 2024, calling the university “an incubator of bigotry” that “has disqualified itself from educating the future leaders of our country.”

“The New York City Bar Association felt compelled to address the propriety of the May 6 letter because we do not want these types of letters to become the norm,” NYCBA President Muhammad Faridi told Law.com in an email Monday. “It is important for members of our judiciary to avoid delving into highly charged political controversies and to not indiscriminately treat all students of a particular school as collectively responsible for the alleged misdeeds of certain students, administrators and/or others.” ...

A Columbia Law School spokesperson declined to comment but referred Law.com to Lester’s statement issued on May 7: “We are proud that Columbia Law School graduates are consistently sought out by leading employers in the private and public sectors, including the judiciary. And we are deeply committed to supporting our exceptional students as they prepare to embark on their careers in the legal profession.”

Law360, NYC Bar Blasts Judges' Columbia Boycott Letter:

Bar association President Muhammad U. Faridi told Law360 Pulse on Monday that the group decided it needed to speak out.

"We thought what the judges did was inappropriate and decided to speak out on the issue, given the significance that Columbia University has to the city of New York," he said. "Many of our former [bar association] presidents are alumni of Columbia University, including our two most immediate past presidents. We've had many partnerships with Columbia over the years, so in this particular instance ... we felt compelled to make a statement."

Earlier this month the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a nonprofit watchdog, wrote a letter to the director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts demanding that the federal judiciary examine its judges' hiring practices. It cited the 13 judges, saying they were using the judicial clerk hiring process to issue "broad-based policy dictums" based on their own personal opinions and in apparent violation of the several Judicial Canons.

Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• New York Times, 54 Columbia Law Faculty Condemn Administration For Disciplinary Action Against Anti-Israel Student Protesters (Apr. 23, 2024)
• Washington Post, Punish Columbia Professors, Not Students Protesters, For The Intellectual Degeneration On Campus (Apr. 28, 2024)
• Law.com, Columbia Law School Delays Exams Amid Protests and Police Activity (May 1, 2024)
• Bloomberg Law, Columbia Law School Offers Optional Pass/Fail Grading Amid Campus Protests (May 2, 2024)
• Washington Free Beacon, “Irrevocably Shaken”: Columbia Law Review Editors Demand Cancellation Of Exams Due To Campus Protests (May 4, 2024)
• Washington Free Beacon, 13 Federal Judges Will Not Hire Law Clerks From Columbia: An ‘Incubator Of Bigotry’ (May 7, 2024)
• Reuters, Columbia Law Dean Voices Confidence In Graduates In Face Of Conservative Judges' Boycott (May 8, 2024)
• Michael Simkovic (USC), Columbia Law Professor Says Columbia University Violated Federal Laws, Fostered A ‘Hostile Environment’ On Campus (May 11, 2024)
• Wall Street Journal, Civil Rights And Antisemitism At Columbia (May 28, 2024)
• The Intercept, Columbia Law Review Refused To Take Down Article On Palestine, So Board Of Directors Took Down Its Website (June 4, 2024)
• New York Times, More On The Columbia Law Review Controversy (June 6, 2024)
• The Intercept, Student Editors Vote 20-5 To Reject Board's Offer To Bring Columbia Law Review Back Online (June 7, 2024)
• David Bernstein (George Mason), Paul Horwitz (Alabama) & Steve Lubet (Northwestern), Reflections On The Columbia Law Review Imbroglio (June 10, 2024)