Dean of Stanford Law ‘equity’ accuses devout conservative judge she invited to speak of doing ‘harm’

A federal appeals judge appointed by Donald Trump has demanded an apology from Stanford Law School after he was invited to speak but was berated by a devout dean as awake students shouted insults.

Judge Kyle Duncan, of the Fifth Circuit of Appeals, was ambushed by associate dean of justice, diversity and inclusion during a discussion Thursday night.

Steinbach – a former ACLU attorney who previously defended free speech – initially argued that Duncan had a right to speak his mind.

But then she launched into a passionate six-minute speech – which she had written down – denouncing his life’s work.

Duncan watched in bewilderment as Steinbach stood at the lectern and told the law students to “write something down because I’m so uncomfortable here.”

She continued, “For many people in law school who work here, who study here, and who live here, your plea – your opinion from the court – comes off as an absolute deprivation of their rights.”

Awake students clicked their fingers in support — with progressive colleges warning that handclapping can be offensive — and shouted “yes” in agreement.

“Not only do they feel hurt by your speech, because if it were just words, that would be one thing. You have authority and power to make decisions that affect the lives of millions,” Steinbach continued.

Her voice could be heard trembling at points, though it’s unclear if she was mad at Duncan, or just excited about getting the chance to soapbox.

She said she hoped Duncan could “listen through your partisan lens.”

Steinbach added, “It’s uncomfortable saying this to you as a person. It’s uncomfortable to say that your work has harmed a lot of people here… and I know that must be uncomfortable to hear. It should be.

“I also don’t feel comfortable coming here to take care of many of the people in the room.”

Duncan stood up and shook his head in surprise. Steinbach also voiced her support for free speech, but was met with a stir seconds later when she suggested that hate speech should be banned and that her students could advocate for those same laws after graduation.

The 51-year-old Louisiana lawyer, known for challenging LGBTQ+ rights, was appointed a federal judge in 2018.

Prior to that, he represented the Christian company Hobby Lobby in their case against providing contraception on health insurance to their employees – a case Duncan successfully argued in the Supreme Court.

LGBTQ+ advocacy group Lambda Legal said Duncan had “spent his entire career destroying civil rights advances.”

Duncan was invited to Thursday’s campus event by the Stanford chapter of the conservative group The Federalist Society.

He was tasked with discussing gun laws, COVID mandates, guns, and Twitter.

“So you invited me to speak here, and I’ve been harassed nonstop,” Duncan said.

Steinbach then took the lectern and said in a trembling voice that Duncan’s remarks “tear in the fabric of this community that I’m here to support.”

She asked him, “Is the juice worth squeezing?”

When Duncan tried to answer, students yelled, “Let her finish!”

“Your work has hurt many people here,” Steinbach told Duncan.

‘In my role at this university, my job is to create a sense of belonging for all students.

And that’s hard and messy and not easy, and the answers aren’t black or white, right or wrong. This is part of creating connection.

“And it doesn’t feel comfortable and it doesn’t always feel safe, but there are always safe places and there’s always the intent to make sure you all feel in a space where you can feel complete.”

Steinbach said Duncan was “absolutely welcome,” raising an eyebrow.

She said she wanted “more speech, not less.”

She accused Duncan of harboring “divisions” that upset the students.

“I hope you can see through the spectacle and noise at the people holding these signs,” she said, pointing to a person holding up a “Trans Lives Matter” sign.

She then invited any students who felt threatened to leave, telling them, “Many who go before Judge Duncan have no choice. You have a choice.’

Dozens rose and walked out, while Duncan looked on in shock and disgust.

Duncan told Reuters on Friday that he felt ambushed.

“I think this was a set-up, she worked on this with students,” he said.

Prior to the event, Steinbach emailed the same wake-up points, leading to speculation that she had been circling the wagons prior to the ambush.

He said he was “offended” and “disturbed” by the “deeply uncivil behavior” of the students and Steinbach.

“It would be nice if they reached out to me and said, ‘Gosh, we’re sorry,'” he said.

In a message to students on Friday, Jenny Martinez, dean of Stanford Law, said it is against school policy to prevent a speaker from giving a presentation by harassing or otherwise.

“However well-intentioned, attempts to manage the room backfired in this case,” she wrote.

“The way this event unfolded was inconsistent with our institutional commitment to freedom of expression.”

Duncan compared the protest to incidents at other law schools, including Yale and Georgetown, where student-led protests by conservative speakers sparked debate about whether law schools are living up to their ideals as bastions of open debate and free speech.

‘I said [students] this is not going to work in a courtroom, this kind of disagreement,” he said.

“Maybe we’re going there as a society, but that won’t work in my courtroom.”

Law student Tessa Silverman, who attended the protest, told Reuters that Duncan himself seemed angry, calling some of the students “idiots.”

Duncan confirmed it.

“They’re idiots,” he said. “They’re hypocrites and they’re bullies.”