Law students grinding through exams and OCI interviews don’t need more campus drama. They need skills, networks, mentors. But Cornell’s Federalist Society chapter just amplified Amy Wax — the UPenn prof sanctioned for promoting white supremacy — turning a sleepy law school talk into a flashpoint that poisons the well for everyone.
Here’s the thing. Wax isn’t some fringe voice anymore; she’s a sanctioned repeat offender. UPenn slapped her after years of trolling: white nationalism conferences, trashing Black grads, calling for fewer Asians. She sued, lost fast. Now Cornell FedSoc rolls out the red carpet.
Tiny crowd, big stink.
About 20 people showed up March 25, moderated by Prof. William Jacobson — the Legal Insurrection guy who’s no stranger to race-baiting headlines. Wax didn’t dissect case law. No. She ranted about universities “obsessed with a cult of diversity” over truth-seeking.
During the hour-long March 25 event, attended by about 20 people and moderated by conservative Prof. William Jacobson, securities law, Wax argued that universities are self-perpetuating institutions obsessed with a “cult of diversity” rather than searching for truth and pursuing new knowledge.
That’s from the Cornell Daily Sun. Punchy, right? Captures the grievance vibe perfectly.
Students flipped.
The Native American Law Student Association blasted it in a letter:
“The purpose of her platform is not to engage in any search for truth, but rather to advocate openly for a return to explicit racialized caste systems.”
Ola Eboda, J.D. ’27 and BLSA VP, called it a desecration of identities — personal note, not org speak. Fair play; these aren’t hypotheticals. Wax’s track record screams provocation.
Why Did Cornell FedSoc Invite Amy Wax?
Look, Federalist Society chapters love edginess. It’s their brand now — less Bork debates, more podcast warriors. Yale FedSoc did the same a couple years back. Pattern? Absolutely. They invite lightning rods like Wax, brace for protests that never fully materialize, then cry foul when admins send cops or deans warn about disruptions.
Reverse Heckler’s Veto, we called it before. Plant the toxic seed, demand protection from imagined mobs. Cornell played along: police on site, dean memos flying. No rocks thrown, no chaos — just statements, walkouts, tough questions that leave speakers fuming. Remember Judge Duncan at Stanford? Called students “appalling idiots” after they schooled him.
But here’s my unique spin, straight from 20 years watching these cycles: this mirrors the GOP’s MAGA pivot. FedSoc built SCOTUS empires on smart, originalist arguments. Now? Grievance farming with Jacobson-Wax duos (DeNiro-Pacino for white woes). Long-term losers. Courts demand rigor, not rants. Conservatives risk alienating the bench they own.
Sketchy logistics too.
Students told the Sun the event notice — required for student-funded talks — hit at 2 a.m. day-of. BigLaw hopefuls aren’t nocturnal. Smells like dodging scrutiny other groups face. FedSoc gets special treatment? Admin favoritism or just sloppiness?
Jacobson. Oh boy.
Guy lost it years ago when profs flagged Ivy League bigshots peddling racist tropes. Why? His blog does exactly that — “wilding” headlines nodding to Central Park Five wrongs. Then he raged at race/bias classes mandated by ABA. Free speech for me, not thee?
Wax clings to “academic freedom” — but that’s for peer-reviewed work, not Wikipedia cites and pod rants. UPenn saw through it. Tenure intact, sanction stuck. She’s unhireable elsewhere, so FedSoc it is.
Does Amy Wax’s Cornell Talk Hurt Future Lawyers?
Damn right. Polarization bleeds into recruiting. BigLaw firms scan socials, weigh campus reps. FedSoc kids signal one tribe; NALSA, BLSA another. Neutral profs? Stuck mediating.
Real people — your OCI shot, clerkship recs — suffer. Events like this erode trust. Who’s mentoring when every talk’s a battlefield?
FedSoc defends as truth-seeking. Bull. Wax adds zero to labor policy or whatever. Pure trolling.
History repeats. Remember the 90s culture wars? Law schools survived by compartmentalizing. Today? Amplified by X, Substack. Prediction: more suits, more sanctions, FedSoc sidelined as courts tire of the circus.
And the Sun notes legal leaders gather May 6-7 in Fort Lauderdale for real issues — Amanda Knox keynoting. Contrast that sanity.
Single punch: Grievance pays clicks, not cases.
Broader rot. Law schools chase ABA nods on bias, but let this slide? Hypocrisy.
Wax kept tenure. Good? Profs need leeway. But platforms like Cornell FedSoc? Crosses into activism, not academia.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What did Amy Wax say at Cornell?
Ranted on ‘woke ideology’ capturing universities, cult of diversity blocking truth.
Why the backlash to Wax’s Federalist Society invite?
Her history: white supremacy accusations, hate conference attendance, anti-Asian comments, sanctioned by UPenn.
Is this free speech or provocation at law schools?
Provocation ploy — invites spark protests that don’t happen, admins overreact, cycle repeats.
