On March 9, 2023, Judge Kyle Duncan’s speech at Stanford Law School was disrupted, prompting Dean Jenny Martinez to share further thoughts on the incident in a memorandum to the Stanford Law School community. In the message, she discusses the school’s policies regarding protests and disruption of speakers and how these policies align with the First Amendment and California law.
Martinez also emphasizes the importance of implementing the university’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in ways consistent with academic freedom and free speech. She believes protecting freedom of expression of all viewpoints is essential to diversity and inclusion in the long run. Moreover, she emphasizes the importance of preparing law students to practice law at the highest standards, including the professional standards of acting with dignity, courtesy, and integrity.
The memorandum also emphasizes the need to understand an opponent’s arguments and channel the passion of one’s principles into a reasoned, persuasive argument as an essential part of learning to be an effective lawyer. To stop cycles of degenerating discourse, Martinez argues that all community members must be treated with dignity, and condemnation and abuse must be replaced by curiosity and inquiry.
Overall, Martinez's message emphasizes the importance of balancing freedom of expression with the need to maintain an environment of respect and civility while preparing law students to be effective advocates in a diverse and complex society.
Read the entire message here.
