Harvard Law School
Ten Stories That Shaped 2024
At Harvard, 2024 began with an ending — the chaotic close of Claudine Gay’s short-lived presidency. It would not be a quiet year. Pro-Palestine student protesters staged an encampment in Harvard Yard. Congress expanded its investigation into campus antisemitism, issuing threats alongside blistering reports. Amid it all, Alan M. Garber ’76 quietly ascended from the interim presidency to a permanent post at Harvard’s helm. Here, The Crimson looks back at 10 stories that shaped the University, and Cambridge, in 2024.
Share of Black Harvard Law Students Drops in First Class After Affirmative Action Ruling
The share of Black students enrolled in Harvard Law’s J.D. Class of 2027 fell by more than 4 percent compared to the previous year, according to enrollment data released by the school on Monday.
Harvard Law School Faculty Votes to Establish Faculty Senate Planning Body
Harvard Law School faculty members voted to support the creation of a University-wide faculty senate planning body during a meeting on Thursday.
Harvard Law Student Government Spars With Admin Over Referendum on Study-in Protests
The Harvard Law School student government is embroiled in a bitter feud with Dean of Students Stephen L. Ball over a proposed referendum to condemn the administration for taking disciplinary action against students who participated in pro-Palestine study-in protests.
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ’92 Judges Ames Moot Court Final at HLS
A dozen Harvard Law School students argued before U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ’92 in the final round of the Harvard Law School Ames Moot Court competition.
Harvard Law School Students Protest in Library, Leave Before ID Checks
More than 50 Harvard Law School students quietly protested in Langdell Hall’s library Friday afternoon, the third study-in protest to occur at HLS this semester.
Journalist Jodi Kantor Talks Reporting on Weinstein, SCOTUS at Law School Event
Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist Jodi Kantor discussed her approach to investigative journalism and the importance of remaining nonpartisan at a Harvard Law School event on Wednesday.
Professors Talk Ranked-Choice Voting, Anti-Incumbent Wave at Harvard Law School Panel
Four Harvard Law School professors — Nicholas O. Stephanopoulos ’01, Ruth Greenwood, Larry Schwartzol, and Guy-Uriel E. Charles — discussed the implications of the 2024 presidential election for American politics and democracy in a Tuesday panel.
Dean Phillips Says He May Consider Third Party Options if Democrats Don’t Change
U.S. Representative Dean Phillips (D-MN3) criticized Democrats at a joint Harvard Law School and Harvard Kennedy School event, saying his party has lost its way.
Harvard Law School Denies Student Appeals to Reverse Library Bans
Harvard Law School administrators rejected appeals from students to reverse temporary suspensions from the school’s library in Langdell Hall over their participation in pro-Palestine “study-ins” last month.
Harvard Law Students Banned From Library Over Study-In, HOOP Says at Rally
Student protesters received another ban from Harvard Law School’s Langdell Library for participating in a study-in last week.
Garber Announces Advisory Committee for Harvard Law School Dean Search
Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 formed a 13-member faculty advisory committee to provide input on the search for Harvard Law School’s next dean, the University announced on Thursday.
Harvard Law School Professors Discuss Legal Frameworks for Challenging Election Outcomes
Less than one week before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Harvard Law School professors Laurence Lessig and Larry Schwartztol gathered in Langdell Hall to discuss legal methods of challenging election results through the electoral college at a Wednesday talk.
Harvard Faculty Overwhelmingly Donated to Democrats Ahead of 2024 Election
Members of Harvard’s governing boards and faculty donated more than $2.3 million to political candidates and causes ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, a Crimson analysis found.
HLS Banned 60 Students From Its Library for a ‘Study-In.’ Dozens Just Did It Again.
Harvard Law School temporarily banned at least 60 students from its library on Thursday, prompting more than 50 other students to protest the suspensions by staging another “study-in” protest at the library.
Keith Ellison Discusses Derek Chauvin Murder Trial at Harvard Law Event
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison discussed his experience serving as a special prosecutor in the trial of Derek Chauvin — the police officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd — during a talk on Monday at the Harvard Law School.
HLS Professor Randall Kennedy Defends Harvard’s Free Speech Culture at Debate
Harvard Law School Professor Randall L. Kennedy defended Harvard’s free speech culture with George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley at HLS Thursday.
HLS Students Hold Langdell Library ‘Study-in’ to Protest War in Gaza
More than 100 Harvard Law School students protested the war in Israel and Gaza and “Harvard’s complicity in Israel’s genocide” at a silent “study-in” in HLS’ Langdell Library on Thursday.
Inside the Century-Old HLS Program That Quietly Churns Out World Leaders
Every year at Harvard Law School, less than 200 students graduate with a Master of Laws, or LL.M., the exclusive HLS degree that has quietly shaped governments, courts, and legal systems around the world.
CAFH Hosts Cass Sunstein for Campus Free Speech Book Talk
Harvard Law School professor Cass R. Sunstein ’75 discussed his recently published book, “Campus Free Speech: A Pocket Guide” at a Tuesday afternoon event at Harvard Law School organized by the Council on Academic Freedom at Harvard.
HLS, HKS Professors Launch New Tool To Assess Local Public Opinion
Professors from Harvard and George Washington University launched a data visualization tool early last month to help legislators better assess local opinions on policies.
HLS Clinic Partners with City of Boston to Assist Formerly Incarcerated Citizens
Harvard Law School’s Transactional Law Clinics launched the Fresh Start Entrepreneurship and Financial Capability Program in collaboration with First Step Alliance and the City of Boston to offer formerly incarcerated individuals entrepreneurial skills for financial stability as they re-enter society.
Harvard Legal Aid Bureau Partners With Boston Medical Center for Child Abuse Reporting Training
The Harvard Legal Aid Bureau launched a partnership with the Boston Medical Center in April to educate medical residents at the hospital about their legal responsibilities as mandated reporters of child abuse.