Yale Law School professors teaching an odd lesson
Yale Law School graduates are considered the elite of the elite (though Harvard Law School would dispute that title), even though the school famously does not emphasize the actual practice of law. Yale Law's much smaller size means that admission is more competitive than its bigger neighbor in Cambridge. Bill and Hillary Clinton and Brett Kavanaugh only scratch the surface of its list of distinguished alumni.
Yesterday, 31 classes were canceled at Yale School to enable students to go to Washington, D.C. Aryssa Damron writes at the Free Beacon:
The Sterling Law Building, housing Yale Law School (via Wikipedia).
Professors at Yale Law School, Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's alma mater, cancelled class on Monday to allow students to protest Kavanaugh's confirmation in light of sexual assault allegations made against him.
One professor, James Forman, cancelled his Criminal Law class in an email to his students, writing "I just received a request to cancel class on Monday. I understand that some students want to go to D.C. to protest or otherwise engage with the Kavanaugh hearings. Criminal Law is cancelled[.]"
This is what faculty support for, and solidarity with, student organizing looks like. Thank you, @JFormanJr. pic.twitter.com/dyt95yZAIF
— Dana Bolger (@danabolger) September 21, 2018
Not all classes were cancelled though, according to Yale Law spokeswoman Debra Krozer.
"Yale Law School did not cancel all classes," she said. "Many faculty members chose to reschedule or cancel their own classes today. And some held classes as usual."
Law & Crime reports that 31 classes were cancelled due to the protests. Yale Law School students and alumni have organized "sit ins" against Kavanaugh's nomination both on Yale's campus and in Washington, D.C.
As my friend Ed Lasky wryly notes: "Guilty until proven innocent. Nice lesson for Yale Law students."