NY Times: Ralph Nader Rips Sullivan & Cromwell For Refusing To Hire Students Who Participated In Anti-Israel Campus Protests

New York Times, Ralph Nader Assails Law Firm’s Vow to Exclude Some Campus Protesters:

Three prominent legal figures, among them the consumer safety activist and four-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader, sent a letter on Tuesday to a leader of the Wall Street law firm Sullivan & Cromwell to condemn the firm’s policy of scrutinizing job applicants’ participation in protests over Israel’s war in Gaza.

The letter, addressed to Joseph C. Shenker, one of the firm’s two senior chairs, was the most prominent criticism of Sullivan & Cromwell’s policy yet from within the legal field. It was also signed by Bruce Fein, a Justice Department official under President Ronald Reagan, and Lou Fisher, a constitutional scholar who worked for 40 years at the Library of Congress.

Sullivan & Cromwell said in May that it would use a background-check company to review job applicants’ involvement with pro-Palestinian student groups and in antiwar protests for statements and slogans it deemed to be “triggering” to Jews, including the ubiquitous protest slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Under the policy, applicants risk being disqualified for a job at the firm even if they weren’t using problematic language themselves but were involved with a protest where others did. ...

Sullivan & Cromwell is one of the highest-profile Wall Street law firms, counting among its clients the country’s largest banks and billionaire investors. So far, no other corporate law firms have publicly revealed similar policies, but other industry leaders have privately praised Sullivan & Cromwell for carrying out its plan.

Law360, Nader Slams Sullivan & Cromwell Over Protest Screenings

Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• New York Times, Big Law Firms Warn T14 Law Schools About Antisemitism (Nov. 2, 2023)
• Wall Street Journal, A Warning To Law Schools On Anti-Semitism (Nov. 3, 2023)
• National Law Journal, Sullivan & Cromwell To Ramp-Up Vetting Of New Hires Amid Wave Of Pro-Palestinian Protests (May 13, 2024)
• Vivia Chen, Sullivan & Cromwell's New Hiring Policy Is Problematic (May 24, 2024)
• New York Times, Sullivan & Cromwell Will Use Background Checks To Weed Out Antisemitic Prospective Hires (July 15, 2024)

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