Judges who said they wouldn't hire Columbia graduates have been cleared of misconduct: report

A judicial council cleared a group of federal judges who said they wouldn't hire graduates from Columbia University as law clerks over misconduct charges. 

The federal judges said a few months ago that they would not hire students at Columbia University who participated in the anti-Israel protests that took place following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 

This resulted in a complaint being filed against the judges for discrimination, according to Campus Reform.

Fifth Circuit Court chief judge Priscilla Richman dismissed the complaint and stated that she didn't find misconduct by the defendants. 

The Fifth Court's judicial council upheld the decision earlier this month. 

“Judges do not violate ethical rules or standards when they exercise discretion in refusing to hire law clerks who may have engaged in unlawful conduct or violation of a university’s [sic] rules,” Richman wrote in her dismissal, which was upheld.

“The subject judges have chosen to boycott the hiring of future graduates of the university as a means to implement their hiring discretion,” the dismissal continued. “While reasonable jurists may disagree about the effectiveness of their method and whether it is justified, the judges have not engaged in misconduct.”