UCLA is widely regarded as one of the top public universities in the United States. Recently, a federal judge in Los Angeles, slapped UCLA with an injunction for having failed its Jewish students miserably in the wake of campus protests that it allowed to spiral out of control in May and June 2024.
The outrage of the federal court cannot be overstated. The Court’s opinion begins:
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. 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. UCLA does not dispute this.
Frankel v. Regents of the Univ. of Cal., 2024 U.S. Dist., LEXIS 146433*3 (C.D. Ca. 2024) (Scarsi, J.) (emphasis in original).
Jewish students demonstrated that: (1) they were banned from the central campus quad; (2) they were banned from the campus bookstore; (3) they were banned from the campus library; (4) they were banned from classes; (5) they were banned from exams; and (6) all while non-Jewish students had free access to all of the above.
UCLA Chancellor Gene Block resigned before he could be fired for this infamous debacle. His inertia and block-headed abdication of responsibility to protect Jewish students was inexcusable. The federal court was underwhelmed by UCLA’s feeble defense that violations of the Jewish students’ constitutional rights was initiated by “third party protestors.”
The UCLA brand, which until recently stood for excellence, has been tarnished irretrievably. As a member of the UCLA Community, I feel embarrassed by, and ashamed of, the profound ineptitude and misconduct of its administration, including former Chancellor Block.
UCLA’s violations fill its law school’s text books with constitutional violations including the Equal Protection Clause, the Free Speech Clause, the Free Exercise Clause, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (which bars religious-based discrimination in education), and related claims under California state law.
For now, the court has ruled that under the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, UCLA cannot exclude Jewish students, because of their faith, from campus venues or activities, that are open to non-Jewish students. In recognition of its indefensible conduct, UCLA is not appealing the district court’s decision.
If you are a victim of discrimination in employment under Title VII, or in education under Titles VI or IX, contact the Law Office of Todd J. Krouner, P.C. We have a proven track record of helping victims of discrimination obtain justice, and recover substantial monetary damages, in civil lawsuits. To determine if you have a strong case, please contact us for a free consultation at (914) 238-5800.