Yesterday, I flagged the decision of New York University’s School of Law to cancel the planned Federalist Society event featuring conservative legal scholar Ilya Shapiro. It is only the latest example of schools scuttling or limiting speeches by conservatives and libertarians, citing the likely protests on campus. Instead of punishing those who disrupt events, NYU and other schools enable those protesters and reinforce the ideological orthodoxy in higher education.Eventually, Associate Dean Megan McDermott simply canceled the event, writing:
“After a review of the already great demands on resources and personnel (including but certainly not limited to security personnel) during the week of October 6-10, 2025, I personally made the decision that we could not host your event on campus during that week…This is not a decision based on the proposed program or speaker but rather based on an obligation to provide enhanced security generally on campus during that week as well as resource commitments we have already made across multiple buildings for public and closed events during the same period.”
However, while Shapiro’s one-hour speech is canceled, other events will continue as planned that same day, including discussions on how to reinforce the “DEI social agenda.” Many conservatives opposed that agenda, but they are not viewed as potentially disruptive.
The Federalist Society has organized an alternative event where free speech can be exercised outside of the NYU campus.
Shapiro has been the subject of prior cancel campaigns.
In the meantime, radical left faculty and figures routinely appear on campuses without interruption or added demands from administrators. Schools routinely allow for a type of “heckler’s veto” at such events in closing down speeches. In this case, they did so preemptively, citing the anticipated protests as the basis for the action. Other schools have employed the same tactic in blocking conservative speakers. It is the same rationale cited by some private groups in excluding certain participants over anticipated protests.
The solution is obvious. NYU must stand firm in protecting free speech rights on campus. If students or faculty enter events to shout down or disrupt the speakers, they should be suspended or fired. Campus police should work with local police to facilitate the arrest of trespassers and violent protesters. What they cannot do is yield to these protesters, punishing those who wish to speak or to listen to opposing views.
In the past, universities have been quick to use such rationales to close down conservative speakers. It is a passive-aggressive position where they simply throw up their hands and say that expected protesters forced them to take the action. Administrators are often neither motivated nor empathetic toward those raising opposing views. In this case, they would not allow a one-hour speech by a speaker on the anniversary of a massacre.
This decision should be condemned by faculty and alumni regardless of how they feel about Shapiro or Israel. NYU had a clear choice here: They could stand with free speech or yield to those opposed to its exercise on campus. Their decision to cancel the originally scheduled event is a disgraceful surrender to voices of intolerance and orthodoxy. They failed the most fundamental test of higher education in defending intellectual diversity and free speech.
Once again, it is the mob that prevailed in dictating what can be discussed on campus as Administrators stand in silent acquiescence.
Very simple. States should cease recognizing NYU law graduates as capable of taking the bar exam and not recognize NYU as an accredited law school.
Freedom Dies in Darkness…..where have I heard that. Sweet and true words offered by spineless ideologues.
Shapiro should be cancelled. He is a monstrous zio-nazi that cheerleads the genocide of gaza. Kudos to NYU.
^ Troll paid by Chinese Communist Party to divide Americans. Ignore. ^
To the trolls: I think Rush Limbaugh was a fatuous gasbag. Ditto Bill O’Reilly or Ann Coulter. If that is who you still think you are talking to, and who is voting against you – good luck.
Morning! In what year do you live? Its 2025, not 1990.
100% Jack Loftin ! ! !
OT
After the indecency of the things said after 31 year old Charlie Kirk was mu#dered I don’t want to see them or hear about the at all. 31 years old and an entire life unlived and then the indecency is all you need to know.
Of course they’re indecent at NYU. If a blog is written about an occurrence such as the Oct 7 massacre please discuss the constitutional issues and legal point, PT.
Where specifically has NYU overstepped the line legally. I don’t want to know how anyone feels or if it’s good or bad, just the law of it.
Thank you
It’s a law school. These anti-constitution, anti-freedom, authoritarian, speech-phobic ultra-left-wing zealots are the future of the law and of the judiciary. The professor has a right to be concerned, as should we all. The faculty is at fault, as are all left-wing law faculties that put up with this kind of proto-fascism from their students.
*. Yes, but we need to know the law. We already know the left has corrupted it. Where has NYU broken or edged the law and point out the subterfuge used.
The progress should be in good faith lawful action. The left is bankrupt morally. I don’t want to about them. They are not the future.
I’m embarrassed for the law school. Intellectual cowards.
Colleges are the power base of the Amercian Left. They guard this power base with the utmost ferocity, including through violence. Their success in cleansing the faculties of dissenters and preventing the expression of conservative opinions shows that Republicans, if they want to survive, must challenge the independence of these institutions. It is not a crazy idea to close state colleges. Real thinking will survive the disappearance of state colleges and state education in general.
And real thinking might not survive their continued existence.
Conservative: Pro-Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, without Diversity (e.g. racism, sexism, political congruence, ageism, classicism, etc) and a Constitution that mitigates Democratic/dictatorial progress under a Republican form of government. #HateLovesAbortion
It’s far beyond civil war.
So, today I watched this schlock movie, Blood Shot, about a vampire CIA agent, and a cop, and Arab terrorists. One terrorist said, “I know the perfect way to sneak into the United States. We all get student visas! Then we dress up and look like terrorists, so we’ll never get searched – you know, racial profiling!”
I also saw this, which is coming to America soon, in Blue Cities – Barbie Kardashian:
The original video got pulled, so here is a replacement video about this from Ireland:
Now its obvious that floyd has the mind of 10 year old. I’m curious, do you, or can you, anything but comic books?