Federal judge slams UCLA over antisemitic protests preventing Jewish students' access to campus

A federal judge on Tuesday issued a strong rebuke against the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) for not protecting its Jewish students against antisemitic attacks during protests on the campus this past spring.

A religious liberty firm sued the university in June on behalf of three Jewish students, who claimed their constitutional rights were infringed upon when they were blocked from accessing a portion of the campus because they would not renounce their faith. 

The students were allegedly blocked by security from walking through the area because of pro-Hamas encampments. The school claimed it had "no responsibility” to defend Jewish students’ religious freedoms because the encampments were from a third party.

U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi granted a preliminary injunction to the students that will go into effect on Thursday, which requires UCLA to maintain equal access to programs, activities, and campus areas for all students regardless of religious beliefs, according to the New York Post.

“In the year 2024, in the United States of America, in the State of California, in the City of Los Angeles, Jewish students were excluded from portions of the UCLA campus because they refused to denounce their faith,” Scarsi wrote, using italics to emphasize his comment. “This fact is so unimaginable and so abhorrent to our constitutional guarantee of religious freedom that it bears repeating, Jewish students were excluded from portions of the UCLA campus because they refused to denounce their faith."

Mary Osako, UCLA’s vice chancellor for strategic communications, claimed the ruling would "hamstring" the university's ability to respond to events and meet the needs of its students.

“UCLA is committed to fostering a campus culture where everyone feels welcome and free from intimidation, discrimination, and harassment,” Osako said, per the outlet.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represents the students, urged the university to listen to the ruling and protect Jewish students. 

“Today’s ruling says that UCLA’s policy of helping antisemitic activists target Jews is not just morally wrong but a gross constitutional violation," Becket president Mark Rienzi, one of the attorneys on the case, said in a statement. "UCLA should stop fighting the Constitution and start protecting Jews on campus."

The ruling occurred the day before Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned her post over her handling of the antisemitic protests on campus. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.