Earlier
this
week,
Interim
U.S.
Attorney
for
the
District
of
Columbia
Ed
Martin,
once
again,
used
his
office
to
advance
the
political
positions
of
the
Trump
administration
instead
of
uphold
law
and
order.
Martin
sent
out
another
threatening
letter.
This
one
(eventually)
went
to
the
Dean
of
Georgetown
University
Law
Center,
William
Treanor,
demanding
the
elite
law
school
stop
all
diversity,
equity,
and
inclusion
efforts
or
else
his
office
will
no
longer
consider
candidates
associated
with
Georgetown
Law
(assuming
they’re
back
in
the
hiring
business).
Using
the
federal
government’s
hiring
power
to
punish
alumni
(with
no
power
over
law
school
policies
or
procedure)
for
the
sins
of
their
alma
maters
is
an
established
play
by
the
right.
And
with
donations
from
said
alumni
an
integral
part
of
high
ed
funding,
it
has
the
potential
to
be
a
powerful
tool
to
force
institutions
to
do
the
bidding
of
conservatives.
And
as
a
common
response
to
Trump
administration
threats
has
been
to
obey
in
advance,
Martin
had
good
reason
to
believe
Treanor
would
fold.
My
friends,
he
did
nothing
of
the
sort.
You
should
absolutely
read
the
letter
from
Treanor,
available
below,
in
its
entirety,
as
it
deserves
all
the
snaps.
But
the
letter
is
constructed
in
a
way
to
be
unique
Kryptonite
to
conservatives,
by
leaning
into
the
religious
institution’s
First
Amendment
protections.
Your
letter
informs
me
that
your
office
will
deny
our
students
and
graduates
government
employment
opportunities
until
you,
as
Interim
United
States
Attorney
for
the
District
of
Columbia,
approve
of
our
curriculum.
Given
the
First
Amendment’s
protection
of
a
university’s
freedom
to
determine
its
own
curriculum
and
how
to
deliver
it,
the
constitutional
violation
behind
this
threat
is
clear,
as
is
the
attack
on
the
University’s
mission
as
a
Jesuit
and
Catholic
institution.
Treanor
goes
hard
for
all
the
things
that
make
Jesuit
Catholicism
good.
Jesuits’
beliefs
include
global
justice,
peace,
and
dialogue
and
the
order
has
a
storied
tradition
of
educational
excellence.
Georgetown
has
a
prominent
role
in
that
tradition,
and
Treanor
will
not
be
selling
that
out
over
some
bullying.
As
a
Catholic
and
Jesuit
institution,
Georgetown
University
was
founded
on
the
principle
that
serious
and
sustained
discourse
among
people
of
different
faiths,
cultures,
and
beliefs
promotes
intellectual,
ethical,
and
spiritual
understanding.
For
us
at
Georgetown,
this
principle
is
a
moral
and
educational
imperative.
It
is
a
principle
that
defines
our
mission
as
a
Catholic
and
Jesuit
institution.
But
for
my
money,
the
closing
shot
Treanor
lobs
over
the
bow
is
the
piece
de
resistance
for
its
sheer
self-assurance:
Georgetown
Law
faculty
have
educated
world
leaders,
members
of
Congress,
and
Justice
Department
officials,
from
diverse
backgrounds
and
perspectives.
We
pride
ourselves
on
providing
an
excellent
graduate
and
professional
education,
built
upon
the
Catholic
and
Jesuit
tradition.
Georgetown-educated
attorneys
have,
for
decades,
served
this
country
capably
and
selflessly
in
offices
such
as
yours,
and
we
have
confidence
that
tradition
will
continue.
We
look
forward
to
your
confirming
that
any
Georgetown-affiliated
candidates
for
employment
with
your
office
will
receive
full
and
fair
consideration.
Seriously,
so
many
institutions
are
just
trying
to
survive
this
iteration
of
the
Trump
administration,
and
saying
and
doing
whatever
they
have
to
in
order
to
get
by.
But
Treanor
knows
that
surviving
by
betraying
the
principles
you
hold
near
and
dear
is
no
victory.
There’s
not
a
ton
of
good
news
out
there,
but
Georgetown
Law’s
willingness
to
step
into
the
fray
is
a
great
moment.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].