On Monday, September 16, 2024, Reuters reported that a federal appeals court panel dismissed an ethics complaint against two judges who participated in a boycott of law clerks from Columbia University. This boycott was a response to the university’s handling of student protests related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
The US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, in an order released on August 12, confirmed the dismissal of the misconduct complaint brought against Circuit Judge Elizabeth Branch and US District Judge Tilman Self III. Both judges were among thirteen federal judges who signed a letter in May, declaring their intention to cease hiring clerks from Columbia, labeling the institution as “an incubator of bigotry” and asserting that it had disqualified itself from training future leaders.
Chief Judge William Pryor previously dismissed the complaint in June, stating that the allegations did not substantiate claims of misconduct against the judges. The complainant accused the judges of behaving like “politicians and possibly foreign agents masquerading as federal judges,” arguing that their collective action constituted a violation of individual rights.
In his ruling, Pryor noted that federal judges regularly consider the educational backgrounds of law clerk applicants when assessing their qualifications. He emphasized that judges are permitted to draw reasonable conclusions about the quality of an educational institution’s programs as part of their hiring process.
The Fifth Circuit’s judicial council also addressed a similar complaint in August against judges within its jurisdiction who signed the same letter regarding Columbia University.
Source: Reuters
