-- HaydenSmith - 24 Apr 2025

All -- In light of today's class, I decided to draft a response letter in consideration to be forwarded to faculty. Interested in your thoughts.

Dear Columbia Law Faculty,

Thank you for your letter and for reaffirming your commitment to foundational principles such as the rule of law, due process, and free expression. We appreciate your moral leadership and your recognition of the threats currently facing Columbia and other public-serving institutions.

However, we believe that affirming these principles, while necessary, is not sufficient. As students committed to the legal profession, we are taught that it is not enough to state ideals—we must act to uphold them. In the face of concrete threats to our community and to the institution itself, mere affirmation cannot be the final word.

For instance, if we were presented with this situation on an exam—where an administration attempts to punish an academic institution for political reasons by targeting its funding—a response limited to statements of principle would not suffice. We would be expected to identify and pursue legal remedies. We believe that the same standard should apply outside the classroom. Words must be matched by deeds.

Thus, we respectfully urge the faculty to consider following Harvard’s lead and initiate legal action to block the Trump Administration from withdrawing funding from Columbia in retaliation for constitutionally protected activity. As full-time and emeritus faculty of a premier law school, we ask that you act not only as educators but also as lawyers—lawyers who are willing to stand up in court to defend your rights and ours, and to preserve the academic and legal freedoms that are under threat.

The times demand more than symbolic solidarity. They demand the active defense of our shared values through legal and institutional mechanisms. We hope you will lead that charge.

Sincerely,

concerned Columbia Law students

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