‘Unrelenting Daily Confrontation’: After Roe Leak, Yale Law Students Call for Ostracizing Conservative Classmates and Tossing Out Constitution

It’s been a rough couple of weeks for students at Yale Law School, who are responding to news that the Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade with calls to accost their conservative classmates through "unrelenting daily confrontation" and toss the Constitution by the wayside.

Members of the law school’s conservative Federalist Society, first year law student Shyamala Ramakrishna said in an Instagram post, are "conspirators in the Christo-fascist political takeover we all seem to be posting frantically about." Why, she asked, are they still "coming to our parties" and "laughing in the library" without "unrelenting daily confrontation?"

Some of her classmates were less moderate.

"It’s not time for ‘reform,’" first-year law student Leah Fessler, a onetime New York Times freelancer, wrote on Instagram. "Democratic Institutions won’t save us." It is unclear how Fessler will apply that view as a legal intern this summer for federal judge Lewis Liman. Judge Liman did not respond to a request for comment.

Fessler isn’t alone. "Neither the constitution nor the courts—nor the f*cking illusion of ‘democracy’—are going to save us," first-year student Melisa Olgun posted. "How can we possibly expect a document, drafted by wealthy, white, landowning men, to protect those who face marginalization that is the direct result of the very actions of the founders?"

Contacted for comment, the students decried "leaks" of their social media posts and said the Washington Free Beacon was not "authorized" to publish them.

"This was posted PRIVATELY, on a private story, and was clearly leaked to you," Fessler said in an email, adding that the Free Beacon was "in no way authorized" to use the message.

"The post was on a private account on a private story that was sent to you without my knowledge," Olgun said. "You are in no way authorized to use it or my name in your story."

The replies may have been a tacit invocation of copyright laws that ban the dissemination of photos without their owner’s consent. Publishing private Instagram posts, a lawyer might argue, violates intellectual property rights, though Adam Candeub, an intellectual property expert at Michigan State University College of Law, called that argument "bullshit."

"It’s not clear copyright would even apply," Candeub said. "I wonder what they’re teaching at Yale Law School."

Eugene Volokh, a professor of First Amendment law at UCLA School of Law, said the copyright argument was a stretch. Jack Balkin, a First Amendment professor at Yale Law School, did not respond to a request for comment.

The reactions at Yale Law School, long ranked the top school in the country, reflect the radicalism of a younger generation of law students—and, some have speculated, of the leaker himself—who believe that long-standing legal norms perpetuate oppression.

Olgun, for one, lamented that the "‘liberal’ legal discipline will continue to bend over backwards to uphold the decorum, norms, and the sanctity of an institution that serves only those who benefit from originalism."

Such sentiments are widespread at Yale Law School. In March, nearly two-thirds of the student body signed an open letter condemning the Federalist Society for hosting a bipartisan panel on free speech.

The letter—which Fessler, Olgun, and Ramakrishna signed—also condemned the law school for calling "armed police" on "peaceful student protesters," who caused so much chaos at the panel that the speakers had to be escorted to a squad car outside.

Similar scenes have unfolded outside the homes of Supreme Court justices in the wake of the leak. Though it is illegal to picket a judge’s home "with the intent of influencing" a case, hundreds of protesters did just that to Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, raising concerns about their safety. The Biden Administration does not appear to share those concerns: then-White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday that "we certainly continue to encourage [peaceful protests] outside of judges' homes."

Congress has likewise taken a page from the Yale Law playbook. Days after a pro-life advocacy office was firebombed in Madison, Wis., House Democrats tried to kill a bipartisan bill that would beef up security for Supreme Court justices.

Nearly half those justices are graduates of Yale Law School, which churns out hundreds of law clerks each year. The school has an outsized effect on the legal system, producing a shocking volume of judges, academics, and government officials.

Since 1789, more than 4 percent of all federal judges have graduated from Yale Law. Alumni of the top-ranked school account for 17 percent of new law professors and three of the Federal Trade Commission’s five commissioners, including agency chair Lina Khan.

As the law school’s student body has radicalized, some judges are hoping to hem in its prestige. In March, D.C. Circuit judge Laurence Silberman warned his colleagues against hiring Yale students.

"The latest events at Yale Law School," Silberman wrote, "prompt me to suggest that students who are identified as those willing to disrupt any such panel discussion should be noted. All federal judges—and all federal judges are presumably committed to free speech—should carefully consider whether any student so identified should be disqualified from potential clerkships."

https://freebeacon.com/campus/unrelenting-daily-confrontation-after-roe-leak-yale-law-students-call-for-ostracizing-conservative-classmates-and-tossing-out-constitution/

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America’s Leadership Crisis Extends to College Campuses

America needs leadership. We face great challenges as a nation, and in order to tackle them head on in a successful manner, we need effective leaders willing to stand up for what’s right. I plan to do my part as a nominee for the position of Regent at the University of Michigan.

I plan to make a positive difference for generations to come by joining the University of Michigan Board of Regents and by bringing common sense, accountability, transparency and a fresh perspective to the university.

Let’s face it. The University of Michigan is facing an identity crisis. Let’s restore its place as the greatest public university in the world, following a series of unacceptable actions by individuals in the highest positions of authority at the University.

Former university president, Dr. Mark Schlissel, was forced out in disgrace following what the University described as an “inappropriate relationship with a university employee.” The actions by Dr. Schlissel tarnished the integrity of the school and sowed distrust in the current university leadership.

The school was forced to pay one of the largest settlements in the history of higher education after the horrific actions of Dr. Robert Anderson came to light. The fact that Dr. Anderson reportedly assaulted young students for four decades is unconscionable and deserves further investigation.

I understand, firsthand, how sexual abuse can permanently impact an individual with trauma and feelings that are impossible to put into words. As a survivor of sexual assault and domestic abuse, I will tackle these issues head on and ensure everyone’s voice is heard.

For these reasons, and others, I chose to run for an unpaid and often thankless position on the University of Michigan Board of Regents. I’m doing it for my four-year-old daughter Emma, and for all of our children’s future.

This year, I am running as a change-maker. I will bring accountability and transparency to the University to ensure Michigan taxpayers know how and where their money is being spent.

I understand what it takes to get things done. I’ll fight for every Michigander, regardless of partisan political persuasion, because that’s what the role demands. As a member of the Board of Regents, I won’t be representing just Republicans or Democrats, I’ll represent all Michiganders and our common interests at the University of Michigan.

I’ll hold powerful people accountable and ensure Michigan families have a fair shot to send their children to the University. I am a fourth-generation graduate, and I want to ensure all Michiganders have a fair shot at attending.

I come from a family of hardworking immigrants and entrepreneurs. My mother’s father is Stanley Winkelman of Winkelman’s Stores and my father’s father is Eugene Epstein of Vesco Oil Corporation. My parents instilled in me the values that most Americans hold dear; work hard, treat people with respect, stand up for what’s right and give back what you can.

These values are tried and true.

We must ensure the school is preparing students for the future. Unfortunately, in many cases, graduates are often ill-equipped and ill-prepared for a good-paying job with mountains of debt. I will make sure the school keeps the focus on what matters and ceases to waste public money on superfluous

I attended Harvard University and graduated with a degree in Economics. I’m a proud Harvard graduate and learned so much during my four years in Cambridge. After graduating from Harvard, I returned home and joined the family business.

I attended the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business while working with the company and continue to serve on various community boards. I’ve continued to give back the community and now I am stepping up for my daughter’s future, and all of our children’s future.

It’s time for a change. It's time to restore Michigan’s greatness.

That’s why I’m running for the University of Michigan, Board of Regents. To restore Michigan’s greatness and ensure every Michigander can be proud of the Maize and Blue, because every Michigander is connected to the University of Michigan.

https://townhall.com/campaign-voices/lenaepstein/2022/05/19/americas-leadership-crisis-extends-to-college-campuses-n2607468

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After Backlash, NJ School Officials Dig Their Heels in on New Sex Ed Standards

Last month, New Jersey's new sex education and gender identity curriculum gained national attention, putting Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy in the position of having to address the uproar.

At the time, he ordered the state Department of Education to review the standards, which were adopted two years ago, asking for "further clarification on what age-appropriate guidelines look like for our students."

He did, however, push back on what he claimed was a "distortion" of the standards.

"Unfortunately, our learning standards have been intentionally misrepresented by some politicians seeking to divide and score political points," the governor said in a statement, adding that he's "seen a handful of sample lesson plans being circulated that have not been adopted in our school districts and do not accurately reflect the spirit of the standards."

"Any proposed educational content that is not age-appropriate should be immediately revised by local officials," he continued.

But New Jersey school officials firmly rejected any attempt to revisit the standards, which are set to take effect in the fall.

The majority of state school board members and Acting Education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillan Wednesday defended a nearly two-year-old decision to include controversial topics, such as gender identity and abortion, in the state’s new sex education standards. […]

Four state school board members — Andrew Mulvihill, Jack Fornaro, Mary Beth Gazi, and Mary Beth Berry — voted against the revised sex education standards in 2020 and wrote a letter to Allen-McMillan Tuesday ahead of the board meeting. The letter requested a reexamination of the standards, removal of “some of the more controversial and graphic language,” and to delay implementation of the standards.

But, during the Wednesday meeting, Board President Kathy Goldenberg said there would not be a vote to postpone the implementation of the new standards, set to begin in September.

“At this point there will be no votes taken today,” Goldenberg said. “It’s not on the agenda. We won’t be doing it. It won’t happen.”

Allen-McMillan released a memo mid-April addressed to local district leaders that explained the “intent and spirit” of the sex education standards that were revised in June 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The previous standards were set in 2014. The 13-member New Jersey State Board of Education voted 9-4 to update the standards in a resolution after five months of discussion, public comment, and revisions.

“I firmly support the 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards in comprehensive health and physical education,” Allen-McMillan said at the meeting. “I recognize that the department can strengthen our efforts to clarify the meaning and scope of the standards for educators.”

She also said she “wholeheartedly disagrees” with critics of the revised standards. One of the guidelines that concerns critics requires second-graders to learn about the “range of ways people express their gender and how gender-role stereotypes may limit behavior.”

“These standards are designed to ensure that children understand that everyone has the ability to live their life in the way that suits them, no matter their gender,” Allen-McMillan said in her memo last month. “They should also help children to understand that every person deserves respect, no matter their identity or expression.” (Chalkbeat)

Allen-McMillan said she will wait for the state Attorney General's Office to weigh in, according to NJ.com.

"If there's a quorum to do something like that then we'll look at that, but at this point it's not even a remote possibility," she said.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/leahbarkoukis/2022/05/18/after-backlash-nj-school-officials-dig-their-heels-in-on-new-sex-ed-standards-n2607437

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My other blogs: Main ones below

http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)

http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)

http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)

http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)

http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)

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