Trump-appointed judge refuses to hire law students who supported Hamas attack.
A Federal Judge Takes a Stand Against Law Students Justifying Terror Attacks
A federal judge has made a bold statement, vowing not to hire law students as clerks if they have publicly justified recent terror attacks by Hamas as Palestinian resistance against Israeli oppression.
“I will not hire any student or intern who is a member of any group that signed on to this Harvard letter or any other similar letter,” Matthew Solomon, a judge on the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, wrote in a LinkedIn post.
He was referring to a letter written by the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee and endorsed by numerous student organizations. This letter has faced significant backlash for its declaration that Israel is solely responsible for the violence in the region.
According to the Harvard Crimson, at least nine of the original signatories have since withdrawn their endorsements.
The judge argues that signing such a statement is equivalent to associating oneself with hate groups or condoning their actions.
“Reasonable judges may reasonably look for vastly different qualities and attitudes in their law clerks,” he wrote. “But no federal judge I know would hire a card-carrying member of some wacky white supremacist group or even someone that is on record as remotely supporting or even sympathizing with such a group’s activities.”
“I refuse to credential anyone who supports or even remotely sympathizes with terror in the form of a modern-day pogrom,” he continued, claiming to have seen evidence of student groups endorsing or sympathizing with “Nazi-like horrors in Israel.”
In an interview with Bloomberg Law, Mr. Solomon emphasized that his decision is not political but moral.
“If you sign on to a letter that, in essence, supports the actions of Hamas, you’re out as far as I’m concerned,” he stated. “And if you don’t agree with what the organization said, then in this case, resign.”
Mr. Solomon, who is Jewish himself, was appointed to the federal claims court by President Donald Trump in 2020. The court consists of sixteen judges nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate for a fifteen-year term.
In a follow-up post, Mr. Solomon expressed his pride in taking a stand on this issue, with the support of his colleagues from various backgrounds.
“I am proud to have been out in front on this issue, with the strong support of my colleagues, both Jewish and not, and from my court and elsewhere,” he wrote. “Many of them told me this should not even need to be said.”
Harvard President: We Don’t Punish Students for Outrageous Views
Meanwhile, Harvard President Claudine Gay has released a video statement in response to attempts to name students who signed the controversial letter.
“We do not punish or sanction people for expressing such views, but that is a far cry from endorsing them,” she stated, acknowledging that many find the views expressed in the letter objectionable.
“We can fan the flames of division and hatred that are roiling the world,” Ms. Gay said in the clip. “Or we can try to be a force for something different and better.”
However, this response has reportedly disappointed some Harvard alumni and donors, leading to the termination of the university’s partnership with the Wexner Foundation.
“We are stunned and sickened at the dismal failure of Harvard’s leadership to take a clear and unequivocal stand against the barbaric murders of innocent Israeli civilians by terrorists last Saturday, the Sabbath and a festival day,” the foundation wrote in a letter to Harvard’s Board of Overseers.
“In the absence of this clear moral stand, we have determined that the Harvard Kennedy School and the Wexner Foundation are no longer compatible partners,” the letter stated.
Interestingly, one of the Harvard Kennedy School’s main buildings is named after Leslie Wexner, the chairman of the foundation that funded its construction.
Trump Judges: No Jobs for Intolerant Law Students
Mr. Solomon’s stance aligns with the views expressed earlier this year by Judges James Ho and Elizabeth Branch, who urged employers not to hire law students from schools that fail to teach good citizenship.
These judges pointed to incidents at Yale and Stanford Universities where progressive law students disrupted speakers they disagreed with, arguing that such behavior fosters intolerance.
“Administrators who promote intolerance don’t belong in legal education. And students who practice intolerance don’t belong in the legal profession,” the judges wrote in an op-ed for the National Review.
“If schools are unwilling to impose consequences themselves, at a minimum they should identify the disrupters so that future employers know who they are hiring,” they added.
How does the judge’s decision to not hire law students who have justified terror attacks by Hamas uphold the values of justice and condemn acts of terrorism?
Class=”text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]”>10/17/2023
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