My new column for The Hill defends the CUNY CLEAR legal clinic against Rep. Elise Stefanik’s false accusation of antisemitism. Here is the gist:
Stefanik’s latest battle doesn’t fight antisemitism; it attacks due process
by Steven Lubet, opinion contributor – 07/21/25 11:30 AM ET
At a hearing last week, Stefanik berated CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodriguez for CLEAR’s representation of Mahmoud Khalil, whom she called “the chief pro-Hamas agitator that led to the antisemitic encampments at Columbia.”
Whatever the merits of Stefanik’s other accusations, she is absolutely wrong about CUNY CLEAR. Representation of a controversial client is in the best tradition of legal education.
I agree with almost nothing Khalil stands for, but I believe strongly in due process and fair trials. There is no right to appointed counsel in immigration cases, so Khalil’s representation could only come from organizations such as the ACLU and CLEAR.
There is indeed antisemitism at CUNY, and throughout academia, which I have documented. The representation of Khalil is in an entirely separate category. It is grist for a grandstander like Stefanik, but it is not an example of antisemitism.
You can read the entire essay, including my own representation of controversial clients as a clinician 1975-87, at The Hill.
Posted by Steve Lubet on July 21, 2025 at 12:00 PM