Economist Withdraws as Georgetown Law Commencement Speaker

A pro-Israel economist and former university president will no longer speak at Georgetown University Law Center’s graduation ceremony next week after stepping down from the role. The individual had been announced last week as the commencement speaker for the May 17 event.

Soon after the announcement, students launched a petition calling for his removal that gathered 282 signatures. The petition stated that the speaker is not a lawyer, has no connection to Georgetown, and holds controversial, Zionist, and harmful opinions.

It highlighted a column the economist published last year in which he criticized progressives, university leaders, and major media outlets for their treatment of Israel during the Gaza war. Students also referenced comments the economist made in 2020 criticizing protesters at Northwestern University during clashes over campus activism.

At the time of those 2020 protests, demonstrators referred to him as “Piggy Morty,” a nickname they said referenced his ties to police, while the economist argued the term carried antisemitic undertones. Interim Georgetown Law Dean Joshua Teitelbaum informed the law school community Wednesday that the economist had withdrawn from the speaking role after a number of law students raised concerns about his selection.

The dean wrote that the economist was invited to address the graduating class to share his insights about the current moment in U.S. higher education and to inspire graduates to pursue a life’s work in service of others. In a separate statement, the economist said he did not want his presence to distract from the day’s festivities.

The replacement speaker is a Georgetown professor of law and public policy and former national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union. Following the October 7 attack on Israel, the professor criticized efforts by two organizations to investigate or penalize pro-Palestinian student organizations over campus demonstrations.

The professor wrote that restricting controversial speech would undermine universities rather than protect students.

The Georgetown controversy is the latest in a series of disputes surrounding Israel and pro-Palestinian activism at U.S. university commencement ceremonies. Earlier this week, Rutgers University rescinded an invitation to an alumnus to serve as commencement speaker, citing social media posts about Israel that the university said conflicted with its values.

Meanwhile, the president of the University of Michigan apologized after the faculty senate chair praised pro-Palestinian student protesters during a commencement address last weekend. Such incidents reflect ongoing tensions on campuses related to the Gaza war and associated protests.