The Volokh Conspiracy
Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent
I Don't Mean to Brag, but I Didn't Go to Harvard
Harvard continues to beclown itself.
Recent news from Harvard:
(1) Harvard, under a lot pressure from both the government and internal constituencies, released a lengthy report about antisemitism at the university since October 7. It's pretty devastating, and pretty much should shame all those who have been claiming that complaints about antisemitism there have been exaggerated "Zionist" propaganda.
(2) There's a lot of crazy stuff in the Harvard report, but I can't stop thinking about this chart used in a *required* Education School class.
It's antisemitic, yes, in suggesting that the ADL, which has been fighting white supremacy for over 100 years, is one of the worst examples of white supremacism in the United States. But it's just batshit crazy more generally, and shows the connection between nutty woke ideologies and antisemitism. The report assures us that the instructor is no longer using this chart. IMHO, anyone who thought using this chart as a serious learning tool can and likely should be fired for cause.
(3) After the Washington Free Beacon revealed blatantly illegal racial preferences at the Harvard Law Review, law review editors took action--they began to try to find and punish the leaker, while defiantly proclaiming that they don't plan to charge their day-to-day policies. Out of curiosity, I dug up Harvard's anti-retaliation policy for whistleblowers, or at least what was the policy as late as this past March. (I had to retrieve it from Archive.org). Going after the student leaker is a blatant violation of that policy. I think we're getting to the point where there is good reason to question the top HLR's editors ability to meet the character and fitness requirements of state bars, given their blatant disregard for any laws or rules that apply to them.
(4) Not being satisfied with blatantly defying both federal law and Harvard policy, the Law Review decided to award a $65,000 fellowship to a rather, umm, interesting recipient. Law review editor Ibrahim Bharmal was caught on video assaulting a Jewish Harvard student. He was prosecuted, without Harvard's cooperation, by the local DA, and a few days ago was sent to a diversion program for first-time offenders in which he will have to pick up trash and do other public service and attend an anger management class. So he wasn't convicted, but the assault is, as noted, on video. Not only did that not stop the Law Review from rewarding him with a fellowship, but he will use the fellowship to work at the antisemitic Council on Islamic Relations' especially antisemitic Los Angeles office.
(5) And speaking of Bharmal, someone at Harvard Law School decided he would make a good poster boy for its clinical programs, and last month gave him a whole page to praise both himself and the clinic he worked for on the law school website. It's almost like certain Harvard affiliates want to give the Trump administration ammunition in its war against the university.
