Columbia Law School students have condemned an Instagram photograph of fellow students meeting with Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh in Washington, D.C., during a February visit.
The photograph was posted last month with Justice Kavanaugh surrounded by more than a dozen students who are part of the Columbia Federalist Society.
“During the visit, they learned about the human side of being a justice, the Court’s deliberation process, and how to be an effective advocate,” the caption read.
Comments by fellow students and critics under the photograph show users were outraged the photograph was shared during Women’s History Month.
An account identified as “Noraloraa” wrote: “[Columbia Law School] might have forgotten who came forward during his confirmation hearing, but most of us haven’t.” Another account identified as “reliv” wrote: “This is so embarrassing.”
Columbia Law student Deven Malone commented that he was “disappointed” to see his school “platforming an organization that leverages dark money to capture the courts,” referring to the Federalist Society, a libertarian legal group. Mr. Malone did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Times.
Emails shared with Fox News Digital revealed progressive student groups were calling for protests after condemning the photograph, the outlet reported.
A spokesperson for Columbia Law School did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The National Lawyers Guild and Empowering Women of Color were two groups that targeted the Federalist Society members for posing in the photo, according to Fox.
The Guild said they were normalizing “white supremacist, patriarchal violence in the law, legal education, and the everyday fabric of U.S. society,” while EWOC said the smiling students gave the justice “a terrifying stamp of approval.”
Justice Kavanaugh’s 2018 confirmation before the Senate Judiciary Committee became contentious when Christine Blasey Ford came forward to testify that he had assaulted her during high school.
The FBI investigated her claim but could not substantiate it. Justice Kavanaugh denied the allegation.
Justice Kavanaugh was a target of an assassination attempt in 2022 after news broke that the high court was poised to overturn national abortion rights.
A California man, Nicholas John Roske, traveled to the justice’s home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with plans to kill him.
Mr. Roske is in custody. His trial on attempted murder charges is pending before U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte, a Clinton appointee.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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