New York University (NYU) School of Law reportedly reinstated a previously cancelled Federalist Society event focused on free speech, following criticism from right-leaning groups.
The event, featuring Jewish constitutional scholar Ilya Shapiro, was originally set to occur on October 7, 2025, in commemoration of the genocidal attacks on Israel by Hamas two years prior.
Shapiro was scheduled to speak about his recent book, Lawless: The Miseducation of America’s Elites, which examines how higher education is producing radicals and activists hostile to free-speech principles.
The event was allegedly cancelled by the university, which cited “security concerns,” in anticipation of “demonstrations and protests connected to the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, incidents in Gaza.”
According to Megan McDermott, NYU’s associate dean for academic and faculty affairs, “[t]his decision was not based on the proposed program or speaker but rather based on an obligation to provide enhanced security generally on campus during that week as well as resource commitments we have already made.”
Although one NYU spokesperson claimed that NYU “did not cancel,” merely “requested that the Federalist Society find another date on which to invite Mr. Shapiro,” the event was listed as “cancelled” on the NYU website.
In response to the perceived slight, conservative news outlets and pro-Israel groups such as Fox News, the College Fix, and the Times of Israel voiced their criticism of NYU’s actions.
Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) Special Counsel for Campus Advocacy Robert Shibley labeled the university’s move, though somewhat unsurprising given previous condonation of anti-Semitic behavior, a “textbook heckler’s veto.”
Reflecting on the situation, Shibley told Minding the Campus:
After initially approving the request to host Shapiro on October 7, administrators allegedly moved the goalposts. They first asked that the event be relocated […] Then, after [the Federalist Society] agreed to the change, NYU cancelled it outright. While NYU now describes this as a ‘rescheduling,’ the reality is clear: By preemptively canceling a student-sponsored lecture due to expected opposition, NYU allows the threat of disruption to override students’ and speakers’ rights to listen and be heard.
By also approving other events scheduled for the same time, NYU sends the message that only some views can be heard on campus. Universities cannot selectively disfavor one speaker while approving other major events on the same day. NYU must reaffirm its commitment to free expression by ensuring that all student groups, regardless of viewpoint, can peacefully host events with invited speakers without facing censorship disguised as logistics.
NYU presumably got the message loud and clear, because on October 3, 2025, the Washington Free Beacon reported that, following public disapproval, NYU reached out to Ilya Shapiro and the Federalist Society, asking, “What was needed to make this right.”
As it turned out, NYU was able to procure space to host the event, and said the following in an email to the Federalist Society:
I have taken the unusual step of asking other schools and departments on Washington Square whether they might have an available venue for the event at your preferred date and time, given the limitations on resources at the Law School next week. […] I am happy to share that the University has said that they will be able to host the panel at another NYU space, and to provide the necessary administrative and security support for the event.
The Washington Free Beacon attributed this move to an “onslaught of criticism from law professors and free speech groups.” The event was ultimately set to occur on its originally scheduled date, October 7th, 2025.
NYU continues to promote pro-Palestine sentiment on campus. In October, the three university student groups sponsored an event titled “Documenting Displacement in Palestine: A screening of No Other Land,” which the NYU website describes as “an unflinching account of a community’s mass expulsion and acts as a creative resistance to Apartheid and a search for a path towards equality and justice.” The student groups also solicited donations from students on behalf of the documentary’s creator, a Palestinian activist.
NYU is not a unique case; countless universities across the United States have become havens for anti-Semitic activism. Back in 2024, Columbia University was forced to cancel its university-wide commencement proceedings due to anti-Israel protests on campus, affecting thousands of students. Under the second Trump administration, Columbia underwent investigation by the federal government for fomenting anti-Semitism, resulting in a $200 million settlement. While some universities are enforcing disciplinary action on radical campus groups, others continue to support student organizations that actively engage in violent, anti-Semitic activity.
The climate on college campuses undoubtedly spills over into broader American culture and society. Earlier this summer, a pro-Israel summit in Dallas, projected to host over 1,000 attendees, was cancelled following “serious and credible threats from extremist groups.”
Image: “NYC – Greenwich Village” by Wally Gobetz on Flickr
