Two human rights organizations, The Louis D. Brandeis Center, Inc., and the Jewish Americans for Fairness in Education (JAFE), have filed a lawsuit against the University of California (UC) and the UC Berkeley School of Law. The plaintiffs allege that these institutions have permitted antisemitism, and consequently, the “hatred and harassment” of Jewish students, faculty, and community members, to spread unchecked. This case was filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The suit was brought not just against the universities but also targets UC President Michael Drake, UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol T. Christ, and UC Provost Ben Hermalin. The complaints specifically list 15 JAFE members—including legal scholars and Berkeley faculty—as victims. These members allege they were barred from contributing to Berkeley Law’s legal projects and groups due to their Jewish identity. This significant lawsuit is now part of the ongoing conversation around antisemitism in U.S. educational institutions.
To read more about the pending lawsuit and its broader implications for academia and legal practice, please visit the original post on The Recorder.