Supreme Court candidate Swanson pledges screening process to bar antisemitic law students
 | Author:
Cory Swanson
Candidate for Montana Supreme Court |
Supreme Court candidate Swanson pledges screening process to bar antisemitic law students
Charles Denowh
Townsend, Mont.—In response to an alarming rise in antisemitic demonstrations on college campuses around the country, Supreme Court candidate Cory Swanson has announced he will closely screen law clerk applicants to weed out those who have participated in calls for violence or expressed support for terrorist groups. Swanson joins a growing contingent of judges and judicial candidates who are pushing back against radicalization on campus by pledging to limit job opportunities for students who participate in hate.
“Like so many Americans, I was shocked when the heads of three elite Universities testified before Congress and refused to unconditionally condemn calls for genocide against Jewish people,” Swanson said. “This ugly episode has shone a light on the creeping, half-hidden anti-Semitism that has corrupted many institutions of higher learning across this country.”
The backlash against campus anti-semitism has been swift. Donors have pulled back hundreds of millions of dollars at elite schools that have tolerated hate speech, and at least one university president has been forced to resign. Law firms and judges have rescinded job offers to students who have participated in anti-semitic demonstrations.
Swanson said that if elected Chief Justice next year he would institute a screening process for clerkships on the Montana Supreme Court to block radicalized candidates. “If elected, I will rigorously screen my applicants for clerkships, and will not hire anyone who has called for violence, hatred, genocide, harassment, or any other form of hostile conduct against Jewish people,” he said.
“Working as a law clerk is a coveted position that provides opportunities for a successful legal career. Supreme Court clerkships are even more prestigious and the hiring process is very competitive. Many candidates for these positions graduate from elite law schools at or near the top of their class, compete in moot court or law review, and they cultivate a network of similarly-connected students and lawyers,” Swanson said. “Given these realities, it’s time for lawyers and judges to clearly communicate a standard of behavior for clerks and new hires. Toxic anti-Semitism in elite law schools must not be allowed to infect Montana’s court and legal system.”
