In recent years, there has been much discussion of the claims of “trauma” by students caused by court rulings and other events. These developments are often cited as a basis for the cancellation of exam or classes. Conservative speakers, case decisions, and protests have all been cited in the past for such demands as well as the creation of therapy tents and trauma counseling. Now, editors of the Columbia Law Review (and editors of other journals) have called for the outright cancellation of exams due to the trauma of watching recent protests on campus. This is indeed a learning moment. Law students need to be able to face such moments without shutting down due to the stress. Our profession is filled with stress and trauma. It is the environment in which we operate. In those moments, we do not have the option of being a no-show. We make our appearance and speak for others.
Such claims have been commonplace. Black Harvard and Georgetown law students demanded exam cancellation after the death of Michael Brown in 2014. Administrators and faculty foster these claims by calling free speech “harmful” and “triggering” for students.
Students have also complained of the trauma of taking classes by faculty who do not recognize “white privilege” or classes that touch on certain crimes. After Trump was elected in 2016, universities set up “safe areas” and trauma tents for students.
The editors of the Columbia Law Review are virtually guaranteed their picks of top jobs after graduation. Yet, they told the law school that the clearing of the unauthorized encampment constituted traumatic “violence” that left them “irrevocably shaken” and “unable to focus.” They were joined by editors of five other law journals, including the Columbia Human Rights Law Review & A Jailhouse Lawyer’s Manual.
They portrayed the trauma as the appearance of counter protesters and police on campus, accusing a “white supremacist, neo-fascist hate group” of “storming” campus.
The Columbia students told the university that “many are unwell at this time and cannot study or concentrate while their peers are being hauled to jail.”
The law school has postponed exams due to the protests but has not cancelled the exams.
The students offered an alternative but not preferred option of allowing them to take exams pass/fail. However, they emphasized that “instituting an optional Pass/Fail policy is not really optional when employers will see that some students have grades and others do not… [T]his leaves room for the introduction of extreme bias into the hiring process.”
It is true that law firms are likely to look for students who can handle high-stress situations. This letter suggests the opposite of students at the very top of the Columbia law class.
More importantly, the question is how such law students are emotionally prepared for the pressures of practice when such protests shut them down and leave them “unable to focus.” However, they have been educated in systems that have fostered the sense of victimization or trauma from opposing views.
While often called the “trophy generation,” it sometimes seems like this is becoming the trauma generation. I do not blame these students. Teachers and administrators have reinforced this view. That was evident in the controversial cancelling of a federal judge at Stanford Law School last year.
The Stanford Federalist Society invited Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to speak on campus. It is a great opportunity to hear the views of one of the highest ranked judicial officers in the country. However, liberal students decided that allowing a conservative judge to speak on campus is intolerable and set about to “deplatform” him by shouting him down. It was reminiscent of an equally disgraceful event at Yale Law School when another conservative speaker was similarly canceled — the law students then objected to the fact that campus police were present.
In this event, Duncan was planning to speak on the topic: “The Fifth Circuit in Conversation with the Supreme Court: Covid, Guns, and Twitter.” A video shows that the students prevented Duncan from speaking and the judge asked for an administrator to be called in to allow the event to proceed.
Dean Tirien Steinback then took the stage and, instead of simply demanding that the students allow for the event to proceed, Steinback launched into a babbling attack on the judge for seeking to be heard despite such objections.
Steinbach explained “I had to write something down because I am so uncomfortable up here. And I don’t say that for sympathy, I just say that I am deeply, deeply uncomfortable.”
Steinbach declared “It’s uncomfortable to say that for many people here, you’re work has caused harm.” After a perfunctory nod to free speech, Steinbach proceeded to eviscerate it to the delight of the law students. She continued “again I still ask, is the juice worth the squeeze?” “Is it worth the pain that this causes, the division that this causes? Do you have something so incredibly important to say about Twitter and guns and Covid that that is worth this impact on the division of these people.”
These students have spent years with such faculty telling them that they are fragile, vulnerable victims. However, our clients are often victims with traumatic injuries that must be addressed. Securing an equally vulnerable and triggered lawyer is not going to help them much.
Outside of the Columbia Law Review offices is a thing called life. It is neither predictable nor comfortable. We enter the lives of our clients when they are often failing apart. We have to bring our skills and support at those moments without the assistance of a trauma tent or emotional coach. We also cannot ask judges for postponements to allow us to process the stress of the moment.
This is not meant to be another “buck up buttercup” dismissal. I understand that the campus faced disruption and that many feel deeply about the underlying issues. That passion is needed. Young lawyers should be motivated to right wrongs in this world. I also understand that many of these law students likely had friends who were arrested or involved in the protests. However, our clients look to us for strength not fragility in such moments.
The response from Columbia Law School should be simple: see you at the exams.
Well Said Prof Turley. See you at exams
Sal Sar
Harry Truman’s words about heat in the kitchen certainly ring true for these babies. They disgust me.
“Black Harvard and Georgetown law students demanded exam cancellation after the death of Michael Brown in 2014.” Yes, it must have been traumatizing to them that poor Mike was unable to successfully kill officer Wilson, first trying to take his gun from him, then bum rushing him in a second attempt. One can only imagine their pain and suffering, and need for some psychological counseling.
Well put…….not to mention ‘Hands up Don’t Shoot’ – that phrase began circulating right after young Mr. Brown was shot while trying to kill a police officer…….just another in a long list of fabrications was this notion that Brown had his hands up asking not be shot — and we can thank Obama and his black radical AG Eric Holder for using Ferguson, MO to justify Federal intervention into local police matters —
and let’s not even mention the Korean owner of the convenience store that Michael Brown had just terrorized and stolen mini-cigars from with his massive size (very large 18 year old ) and youthful age advantage —– I must say I never saw that Korean store owner’s name in print, anywhere…….
And can any of you name the person who George Floyd tried to pass the counterfeit $20 bill to in May of 2020, the clerk who contacted the cops in the first place —- of course you can’t —-
So now we have these future lawyers who are made of tissue paper — can we access a master list of their names so we can make sure we never hire them.
“. . . the outright cancellation of exams due to the trauma of watching recent protests on campus.”
“Your honor. I cannot submit that brief you ordered. I’m having a bad hair day.”
Based on a true story, I believe:
https://youtu.be/Al1cfCHeZxs?si=KDU0emTdAPiA7S5e
And these college kids cannot watch protests without buckling under trauma?
The significance of an education from Columbia University, NYU, USC, UCLA, the University of Michigan, and other elite institutions is fading rapidly as the public realizes what was once good is now bad.
Take classes from John McWhorter at Columbia. Those would still carry weight.
Damn! I sure hope I never need the assistance—legal or other—of one of these wimpy, whiny brats.
Clearly, the only reason they are studying law is for the $$$. And, just as clearly, they don’t study unless they have to.
Interesting observations from J H Kunstler – Nostalgia for the Mud:
It has been observed that a clear majority of the pro-Hamas activists are young women — which makes sense considering that they are the largest demographic evincing mental illness on America’s social landscape these days. Thus, they are marching in support of a sect that specializes in the rape, mutilation, and murder of young women like themselves, or at least treats them as chattels, hidden under black bag-like garments. The group psychology on display has more occult angles than any movie by the Wachowski sisters.
Among the marching Columbia students who are not paid outside activists, a few are apparently Jewish, such as spokesperson Johanna King-Slutzky (actual name, hat-tip Alex Berenson, who ID’d her), the winsome creature who complained about the lack of order-in meals at Hamilton Hall. Another observer on “X” who styles himself @J9_ATX identified the syndrome in play as “oppression envy,” among women seeking compensatory validation for occupying such a privileged niche on Planet Earth as a cushy Ivy League college — featuring international cuisine stations in the dining halls — while their third world sisters trudge through the burning sands of Al-Kufra carrying water-jugs on their heads as they dodge the odious “wind scorpions” of the region.
Higher Ed in the USA was already chugging down the suicide track before this spring’s eruption of pro-Hamas fury. The college loan racket (government-backed) had the perverse effect of pumping up tuition costs beyond what even many pretty well-off families could afford, while loading up young people with life-wrecking obligations (debt which “Joe Biden is now shifting onto the creditors, US tax-payers). Decades of DEI have filled the faculties with incompetents and assorted malcontents teaching fantasy curricula with no real-life value, and burdened the schools with cadres of overpaid diversity busybodies and thought-police. Diversity college presidents are very publicly failing to cope. The whole rotten train is going off the rails.
Damn, I could not have said that better. Kudos, Floyd, for capturing the issue so well.
Thank you, sir. Excellent observations.
If you want to continue benefiting from my brilliant ideas, you must start e-mailing money to my PayPal account. Otherwise, I’m just wasting my time, casting pearls to swine.
I suppose it’s good training for the student mob to live in tents for a little while. That way, they can get used to these accommodations. Once they are expelled from school and can’t pay back their loans, at least they will have hope of inexpensive rent on the side of the road or in a city park.
I have a question. What do we do if the unenrolled agitators at these schools show up and take the exams and pass but the students don’t show and fail. What would be justice.
Signed* … *Some, but not all, but we claim most, of the persons [sic]** editing the Columbia Law Journal, Review, Rag for something or other important Law Stuff, but not our real names, because we want to get really high paying lawyer jobs in the future.
** Was this written by a generative AI?
You’re right about lawyers handling stress. Law, like medicine, demands a lot of their practitioners. Only the most determined will survive.
Jonathan: I hate to sound redundant but it was another bad day yesterday for DJT in his criminal trial in Manhattan. It started with DJT falsely claiming the gag order prevented him from testifying. But in court Justice Merchan reminded DJT that the gag order DID NOT prevent him from testifying. DJT promised he would testify in the 2 E. Jean Carroll trials. But he didn’t. DJT wants his supporters to believe in this criminal trial the judge won’t let him testify. That is a convenient excuse because there is no scenario where DJT would actually testify. Why? Because he would have to lie and he would be subject to perjury charges.
In yesterday’s proceedings DJT also pushed his co-counsel, Susan Neckeles, to ask Justice Merchan for an advisory opinion. She held up a stack of newspaper articles and asked Merchan to rule whether DJT could post them and not be in violation of the gag order. In criminal cases judges don’t giving advisory opinions on future behavior of a defendant. Judge Merchan was having none of that. He told Neckeles that the gag order was clear and that it had been upheld by the Appellate Division. Merchan told Neckeles: “I think the best advice to give your client is when in doubt, steer clear”
Poor, Susan. Her client keeps pushing to make ridiculous claims she knows will be rejected. That what all of DJT’s attorneys face in representing a client who thinks he is the the master of trial tactics.
@Dennis
I see ‘Dennis’, and I see two brain cells swishing around in a fish bowl, chasing each other. someday, maybe those neurons will connect. 🙄 If you aren’t being paid, and you aren’t just patently stupid – the prove it one of these days. We’d all love to see it.
Dennis I cut and pasted your reply about the Bragg prosecution, of DJT
You fail on all legal counts of explaining exactly what action taken by DJT is a crime,
So lets get to it.
Discuss the law. You lamented conservatives don’t want to talk about the law. Lets go, Talk already
You must be saying the uncomfortable truth for so many to lambaste you in their comments. (It happens a lot, doesn’t it?) Keep on making sense in this crazy word. You are a pleasure to read.
Anonymous: Thank you. The facts, the evidence and the truth are always uncomfortable who live in an alternative universe. I am reminded of Shakespeare in Hamlet. The “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” will not deter me from pointing out inconvenient truths.
Ladies, Gentlemen, They, Them, it, any and all: today cannot be cancelled (6/6/1944) – (5-10-1969) – (6-17-1775) who will have to suck it up and deal with the outcome, your feelings do not matter, if I don’t see you on the beach, or on top the hill, I will remember how you tested your mettle to move forward regardless of possible failure that could await.
(5-2/2024) Ladies, Gentlemen, They, Them, It, any and all: the children shouldn’t have to be tested, they have endured oh so much drama.
George W,
Well said and well put!
Interesting response AND I completely agree — snowflakes or whatever the spoiled brats are.
LIFE can be tough & rough — you have to LEARN to live it. If they are not learning that then they need o get OUT OF HIGHER LEARNING institutions until they do. Simply put GROW UP! IMO
The little snots need to get a grip. I fear for a country that has produced such whiney little buttheads.
This is the generation that has been brainwashed into thinking the Earth would be gone in 12 years. Teachers, being one arm of the liberal left, then decided to tell children this at early ages. Talk about trauma! They created boogeymen out of the capitalist, the religious and Republicans.
clumbia’s new motto” judenfrei” and the new emblem a can zykon b- note proles are not allowed caps- or punctuation- they are reserved for the inner and outer party-
@prole
Seriously: how many people, if they have spent any meaningful amount of time in NYC, has thought Columbia was anything else? This is not new.
Darwinism has got to kick in at some point… (doesn’t it?)
Darwin, yep
I heard the other day “everybody loves Darwin, but nobody will give him room to operate”