Sydney Carroll

Georgetown University Law Center (GULC) announced Wednesday morning that Morton Schapiro has withdrawn as their 2026 commencement speaker after students launched a petition condemning his selection. The news was announced in an email to the GULC student body sent by Interim Dean Joshua Teitelbaum.

Grace Kiple (LAW ’26) was in a law clinic with other students when Georgetown’s graduation speakers were announced on Monday, April 27. Excited to find out who would be speaking at their graduation ceremony, the group quickly became disappointed after some digging. Georgetown University Law Center’s (GULC) graduation speaker is Morton Schapiro, the 16th president of Northwestern University who has also served in administrative roles at Williams College and the University of Southern California.

Content warning: this article references rape and Islamophobic language Around 30 faculty, staff, and students gathered in the ICC Galleria before Professor Jonathan Brown’s last class of the semester on April 28, two weeks after a conservative news outlet broke into his classroom. In response to the incident, community members called for the university to increase safety measures in order to protect students and faculty going forward.