Clinical Legal Educators Condemn Political Attack on Professor Ramzi Kassem and CLEAR
From Kathryn Banks and Neha Lall, Co-Presidents, Clinical Legal Education Association, and Julie Dahlstrom and Natalie Nanasi. Co-Chairs, AALS Clinical Section Executive Committee:
Dear Colleagues,
We write to share the attached joint statement the attached joint statement from the Board of the Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) and the Executive Committee of the AALS Section on Clinical Legal Education regarding the most recent attack on clinicians by members of Congress.
On Tuesday, July 15th, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing in which elected officials publicly targeted Professor Ramzi Kassem, a fellow clinical law professor who runs the Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility (CLEAR) Clinic at the CUNY School of Law, for his representation of Mahmoud Khalil. The committee’s efforts to single out a law professor for the clients he represents, particularly in a clinic that trains law students to defend civil liberties and challenge government overreach, is a dangerous escalation of political interference in legal education.
As clinicians committed to the rule of law, legal ethics, and the training of future lawyers, we condemn this attack and stand in full support of the academic freedom of Professor Kassem and CLEAR. We urge institutions to use all appropriate legal mechanisms to resist such incursions on academic and professional independence.
We encourage you to share the statement with your law school leadership and broader academic communities. We also invite you to stay engaged as we continue working collectively to defend clinical legal education and protect the professional responsibilities we owe to our clients, students, and communities.
In solidarity,
Kathryn Banks and Neha Lall
Co-Presidents, Clinical Legal Education AssociationJulie Dahlstrom and Natalie Nanasi
Co-Chairs, AALS Clinical Section Executive Committee