A prominent Wall Street Law firm is screening applicants for their involvement in the anti-Israel protests that rocked college campuses in recent months, The New York Times reported Monday.
Sullivan & Cromwell said it will now be checking applicants’ involvement with pro-Palestinian campus groups and checking for antisemitic social media activity as part of a more thorough background check process for students applying for a job or arranging an interview, according to the NYT. Anti-Israel protests, which frequently turned violent and resulted in clashes with law enforcement, exploded across America’s college campuses in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that left over 1,200 people dead.
“We have been, and will be, extremely vigilant in our hiring activities to ensure we are only hiring those students we are comfortable will proudly represent the values and principles of our firm,” the firm’s senior chair, Joe Shenker, told Bloomberg Law. “Creating, or participating in, a climate of harassment, intimidation and discrimination is unacceptable. We have been very open about our firm’s views on these matters.”
The firm did not specify if any candidates have already been dropped due to the new policy, according to the NYT. (RELATED: Video Shows Pro-Palestine Protesters Take To Dem City Streets, Burn American Flag On 4th Of July)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 04: Supporters of Palestine hold a protest outside of graduation ceremonies for Hunter College students at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on June 04, 2024 in New York City. Across the country, dozens of graduations have either been canceled, scaled back, or have had a change of venue as student demonstrators demand that their schools divest from Israel. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The law firm, which has been in business for 145 years, boasts 13 offices across the globe and has represented numerous high-profile clients, including Amazon, Goldman Sachs and Boeing.
Universities have been battling protesters for months throughout the country, with hundreds being arrested following violence and illegal encampments at Columbia, the City University of New York, Yale, and others. Multiple Columbia University students face expulsion following a violent occupation of a campus building in which a worker was reportedly held hostage.
Several universities, including the University of Southern California, were forced to cancel their graduation ceremonies amid uncontrolled chaos, while others canceled classes.
The firm released a statement just days after the Oct. 7 attack, calling it “deeply personal” and “an affront to any measure of basic human decency and civilized behavior.”
Universities have faced harsh criticism for their handling of the campus unrest, facing lawsuits for failing to protect Jewish students and losing hundreds of millions of dollars by alienating donors. Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania presidents both resigned following their congressional testimony regarding their handling of antisemitism on campus in December, which later led to a House Committee opening an investigation into the universities.
Sullivan & Cromwell did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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