Columbia Law backs its graduates after conservative judges said they won’t hire them

Columbia Law School Dean Gillian Lester on Tuesday stood by the graduates after a group of conservative judges said they would not hire them following weeks of pro-Palestinian protests on campus. .

Lester said in a statement that Columbia Law graduates are “consistently sought after by major employers in the private and public sectors, including the judiciary.” Reuters reported.

Her statement was sent to her and Columbia University President Minoush Shafik by a right-wing federal judge stating that Columbia University would refuse to hire graduates after weeks of pro-Palestinian protests. This followed a letter signed by

“As judges who hire law clerks every year to serve the federal judiciary, we have lost confidence in Columbia University as an institution of higher learning,” the 13 justices wrote.

The justices said the school would cease recruiting starting in 2024 and said the boycott was aimed at “restoring” academic freedom at Columbia University.

Students on Columbia University’s campus sparked a nationwide student movement to protest the Israel-Hamas war and demand that universities divest from Israeli companies and companies that supply weapons to Israel.

The demonstrations culminated last week when hundreds of New York City police in riot gear dispersed demonstrators and evacuated those who had overtaken campus buildings.

The justices argued that Columbia University’s “free speech and student “It is clear that they are applying a double standard when it comes to misconduct,” he said.

According to Reuters, Columbia University’s law school is not a major source of federal employment, and the majority of its graduates go on to work in law firm-related positions. Of the 427 J.D. graduates who graduated in 2023, only 21 went on to hold federal clerkships, according to data from the American Bar Association.