Ep. 183 The Stanford shout-down with David Lat

UPDATE: Just as this podcast was to be published, Stanford Law School Dean Jenny Martinez sent a 10-page memorandum to the law school community outlining a path forward for the school, including updating school policies to prevent future speaker disruptions and mandatory student free speech training. She also announced that Associate Dean Tirien Steinbach is on leave.

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The heckling began almost as soon as Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Kyle Duncan started his invited lecture at Stanford Law School on March 9. Signs in the audience read “RESPECT TRANS RIGHTS,” “FEDSUCK,” “BE PRONOUN NOT PRO-BIGOT.”  What transpired over the next 40 minutes captured national headlines and raised questions about the state of free speech at America’s law schools.

David Lat writes commentary about law and the legal profession for Original Jurisdiction. Until 2019, he was an editor at the legal news website Above the Law, which he founded. Prior to his journalism career, David was a practicing lawyer.

Show notes:

• Transcript

• “Yale Law is no longer #1 for free speech debacles” by David Lat

• “7 updates on Judge Kyle Duncan and Stanford Law” by David Lat

• “The full audio recording of Judge Kyle Duncan at Stanford Law” by David Lat

• Transcript of Stanford administrator Dean Tirien Steinbach’s remarks on March 9 at event featuring Fifth Circuit Judge Kyle Duncan

• Email to Stanford Law School from Dean Jenny Martinez

• Stanford apology letter to Judge Kyle Duncan

• Flyers protesting Stanford law event

• “​​Shouting down speakers is mob censorship” by Nadine Strossen and Greg Lukianoff

• Kalven Committee: Report on the university’s role in political and social action (University of Chicago report)

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