WASHINGTON, DC (Press Release) – The U.S. Department of Justice filed a brief late Monday, March 17, supporting Jewish students and a professor in their case against UCLA for helping antisemitic agitators ban Jews from campus.
In Frankel v. Regents of the University of California, a federal judge ordered UCLA last year to stop assisting the agitators, calling the exclusion of Jews from campus “abhorrent” and “unimaginable.” The students and professor recently asked the court to make its ruling permanent so that Jews will never again face antisemitic exclusion.
Monday’s filing marks the first time since antisemitism burst forth in the wake of the October 2023 terrorist attacks that the federal government has filed a statement of interest in a campus antisemitism case to argue that a university should be held accountable for its antisemitic actions.
In its filing, the Department of Justice condemned UCLA for enabling antisemitism on campus and then seeking to avoid any responsibility: “Even though UCLA may not dispute that the antisemitic campus environment at UCLA last year was ‘unimaginable’ and ‘abhorrent,’ [UCLA seeks] to evade liability for what happened on the campus that they are supposed to lead and protect.”
The government stressed that UCLA’s administrators can be held accountable for facilitating the exclusion of Jews on campus. This filing underscores the government’s stance that universities nationwide must fully protect Jewish students and faculty from exclusion and harassment.
“Jews should never have to fear for their safety when they step foot on a college campus,” said Yitzchok Frankel, father of four and third-year law student at UCLA. “I’m grateful that the federal government has condemned UCLA for kowtowing to antisemites, and I hope this sends a clear message to other universities that think they can do the same.”
Last year, federal judge Mark C. Scarsi ordered UCLA to stop assisting antisemitic agitators who set up a Jew Exclusion Zone on campus, blocking Jews from accessing classes, the library, and other critical areas of campus. UCLA helped the agitators by providing metal barriers, stationing security to shoo Jews away, and catering to the wishes of the agitators instead of ensuring safe passage for Jewish students, faculty, and staff.
These actions were documented in a report filed by UCLA’s own Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and Anti-Israel Bias, which admitted the University had fostered an antisemitic environment. For example, the Task Force Report condemned UCLA’s own behavior as “de facto or structural antisemitism” and “fail[ing] in its legal obligation to protect First Amendment rights to the free exercise of religion.”
“DOJ has thrown down the gauntlet: if university administrators aid and abet mistreatment of Jews, they will pay the price,” said Mark Rienzi, president of Becket and an attorney for the students and professor. “This is a wake-up call for every university that allows antisemitic hatred to fester unchecked. No Jewish student or professor should ever again face this kind of terror on their own campus.”
A ruling from the court is expected in the coming months.
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Preceding provided by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.