John Inazu

Tornadoes, Celebrations, and Alasdair MacIntyre Further reflections on the importance of institutions

This week, tornadoes, celebrations, and Alasdair MacIntyre reminded me that rather than simply shaking our fists at the institutions we don’t control, we have an opportunity to shape some of the ones around us even as they continue to shape us. johninazu.substack.com/p/tornadoes-...

Higher Education's Public Image Problem Some thoughts about changing culture, not just messaging

johninazu.substack.com/p/higher-edu...

Confident Pluralism Still Matters President Trump's threats against Harvard should remind us that facilitating pluralism means funding pluralism

President Trump's threat against Harvard's tax-exempt status is antithetical to the pluralism necessary to sustain a diverse democracy. johninazu.substack.com/p/confident-...

April 14, 2025 VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL Josh Gruenbaum Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service General Services Administration Sean R. Keveney Acting General Counsel U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Thomas E. Wheeler Acting General Counsel U.S. Department of Education Dear Messrs. Gruenbaum, Keveney, and Wheeler: We represent Harvard University. We are writing in response to your letter dated April 11, 2025, addressed to Dr. Alan Garber, Harvard’s President, and Penny Pritzker, Senior Fellow of the Harvard Corporation. Harvard is committed to fighting antisemitism and other forms of bigotry in its community. Antisemitism and discrimination of any kind not only are abhorrent and antithetical to Harvard’s values but also threaten its academic mission. To that end, Harvard has made, and will continue to make, lasting and robust structural, policy, and programmatic changes to ensure that the university is a welcoming and supportive learning environment for all students and continues to abide in all respects with federal law across its academic programs and operations, while fostering open inquiry in a pluralistic community free from intimidation and open to challenging orthodoxies, whatever their source. Over the past 15 months, Harvard has undertaken substantial policy and programmatic measures. It has made changes to its campus use policies; adopted new accountability procedures; imposed meaningful discipline for those who violate university policies; enhanced programs designed to address bias and promote ideological diversity and civil discourse; hired staff to support these programs and support students; changed partnerships; dedicated resources to combat hate and bias; and enhanced safety and security measures. As a result, Harvard is in a very different place today from where it was a year ago. These efforts, and additional measures the university will be taking against antisemitism, not only are the right thing to do but also are critical to strength…

recognized by the Supreme Court. The government’s terms also circumvent Harvard’s statutory rights by requiring unsupported and disruptive remedies for alleged harms that the government has not proven through mandatory processes established by Congress and required by law. No less objectionable is the condition, first made explicit in the letter of March 31, 2025, that Harvard accede to these terms or risk the loss of billions of dollars in federal funding critical to vital research and innovation that has saved and improved lives and allowed Harvard to play a central role in making our country’s scientific, medical, and other research communities the standard-bearers for the world. These demands extend not only to Harvard but to separately incorporated and independently operated medical and research hospitals engaging in life-saving work on behalf of their patients. The university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights. Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government. Accordingly, Harvard will not accept the government’s terms as an agreement in principle. Harvard remains open to dialogue about what the university has done, and is planning to do, to improve the experience of every member of its community. But Harvard is not prepared to agree to demands that go beyond the lawful authority of this or any administration. William A. Burck Robert K. Hur Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP 1300 I Street NW Suite 900 Suite 900 Washington, DC 20005 King & Spalding LLP 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20006

BREAKING: On Friday, the federal government issued new demands of Harvard University. The university's lawyers just responded: back off.

The Rule of Law Matters Why I joined a letter about due process and the rule of law

I joined a number of my WashU Law colleagues in a letter conveying that “more than at any other time in our careers, we believe that the rule of law is facing grave peril.” This post explains my reasons for signing. johninazu.substack.com/p/the-rule-o...

Pluralism, Particularity, and Possibility The inaugural Pluralism Lecture at Duke University

Here is the text of the talk I gave last week at Duke. I discussed some of the lessons I learned at Duke and some of the ways that I hope Duke can maintain its pluralistic and educational aspirations in the midst of mounting challenges to higher education. johninazu.substack.com/p/pluralism-...

WashU's Protest Report Some reflections on the factual findings and policy recommendations

johninazu.substack.com/p/washus-pro...

Easily the best Alan Noble book I've ever blurbed.

The specific quote from General John DeWitt, justifying Japanese internment: “The very fact that no sabotage has taken place to date is a disturbing and confirming indication that such action will be taken.”

Opinion | Don’t Fool Yourself Into Thinking It Will Stop With Mahmoud Khalil Don’t fool yourself into thinking it will stop with Mahmoud Khalil.

A super important piece by @davidfrenchjag.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/16/o...

The New DEI: Diminishing, Erasing, and Ignoring Our government is hard at work forgetting the history of Japanese Americans and many others

johninazu.substack.com/p/the-new-de...

The Trump administration cancels $400 million in grants and contracts to Columbia University.

This "immediate cancellation" violates the law. If the Admin thinks Columbia has violated Title VI by being deliberately indifferent to antisemitic harassment, it has to give Columbia a chance for a hearing first, make findings on the record, & wait 30 days.

www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03...

Lawyer, Jailer, Ally, Foe | Eric L. Muller | University of North Carolina Press It is 1942, and World War II is raging. In the months since Pearl Harbor, the US has plunged into the war overseas—and on the home front, it has locked up ...

Congratulations to Eric Muller @elmunc.bsky.social on his new book: Lawyer, Jailer, Ally, Foe: Complicity and Conscience in America's World War II Concentration Camps, on the US government lawyers who worked at internment camps.
uncpress.org/book/9781469...

Protests, Pardons, and Politics Not every protest conviction is the same, and the differences matter

johninazu.substack.com/p/protests-p...

The New Apostolic Reformation The Christian political movement coalescing around Trump's second term differs in some meaningful ways from his religious backers eight years ago

johninazu.substack.com/p/the-new-ap...

An Astonishing Level of Dehumanization There is no defense of those who celebrated the murder of Brian Thompson.

“Celebrating a murder and turning an accused killer into a sex symbol and a cult hero, a modern-day Robin Hood, requires an astonishing level of dehumanization,” writes @peter-wehner.bsky.social:

It’s been a while since I’ve had this comfort food (en route to a conference at Wake Forest).

Video John Inazu on approaching tough conversations with empathy John Inazu, author of "Learning To Disagree," discusses approaching tough conversations with empathy.

Last week's GMA3 interview on Learning to Disagree and how to handle conflict over the holidays: abcnews.go.com/GMA/GMA3/vid...

YouTube video by WeidenbaumCenter at WashU Out of the Darkness: A Story of Injustice and Redemption

Here is the video of my recent interview with Barb Hagerty and Ben Spencer at WashU Law. Ben has such a poweful story and Barb had helped bring it to a larger audience through her excelllent new book: m.youtube.com/watch?v=g1W4...

It's Not Too Late to Buy Learning To Disagree My daughters endorse it!

This was fun! johninazu.substack.com/p/its-not-to...

New veterans law clinic cuts cost barrier to legal services Washington University’s School of Law launched the Veterans Law Clinic to provide free legal services for veterans.

Excited to celebrate the launch of WashU Law’s new veterans clinic: www.stlpr.org/education/20...