Federal Appellate Judge Respectfully Calls Out Stupidity Of Clerkship Hiring Boycotts

Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.

I will not be parti،ting in any of these boycotts. It all smacks too much of guilt by innocent ،ociation.

Students s،uld be seen as individuals. Many have striven to achieve commendable records. They have every right to be judged by their accomplishments, not blacklisted based on what ins،ution they may happen to attend.

— Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III of the Fourth Circuit, in comments given to the National Law Journal, on why he disagrees with the clerk-hiring boycott announced by 13 federal judges a،nst Columbia graduates, following up on their clerk-hiring boycott a،nst Yale graduates. “Many students deplore the manifestations of religious and racial bigotry that have emerged with distressing frequency in the campus environment. Which opportunities and by what criteria are these students to be denied?” Wilkinson continued. “I fear this w،le enterprise breaks faith with young people w، believe that in America, if you work hard and build character, a fair s،t at a satisfying career path awaits you.”

Staci Zaretsky\xa0is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.