Prof. Franke Will No Longer Teach at Columbia Law School, Stemming from her Defense of Palestinian Students

Jan 10, 2025, New York – In response to the end of Professor Katherine Franke’s 25-year career as a highly-esteemed member of the Columbia University Law School faculty, the Center for Constitutional Rights issued the following statement:

In an egregious attack on both academic freedom and Palestinian rights advocacy, Columbia University has entered into an “agreement” with Katherine Franke to leave her teaching position after an esteemed 25-year career. The move – “a termination dressed up in more palatable terms,” according to Franke’s statement – stems from her advocacy for students who speak out in support of Palestinian rights. 

Her ostensible offense was a comment expressing concern about Columbia’s failure to address harassment of Palestinians and their allies by Israeli students who come to campus straight from military service – after Israeli students sprayed Palestinian rights protestors with a toxic chemical. For this, she was investigated for harassment and found to be in violation of Columbia’s policies. The actual cause of her forced departure is the crackdown on dissent at Columbia resulting from historic protests opposing Israel’s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Franke’s fate was sealed when former Columbia president Minouche Shafik threw her under the bus during her cowardly appearance before Congress. 

That charged moment has passed, but the climate of repression on college campuses is only intensifying, and Israel’s genocide of Palestinians continues unabated. The goal of the crackdown on Palestinian rights advocacy is to silence criticism of Israel’s barbaric assault, which has killed at least 46,000 Palestinians. The actual total, according to a new study, could be as high as 65,000. This is where our attention should be, and where Franke will now be able to refocus her efforts. 

Read Katherine Franke’s full statement here