Skip to main content

Law Students Rate Kavanaugh -- 'Great Hair'

By William Vogeler, Esq. on July 20, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

When Brett Kavanaugh taught at Harvard Law School, hundreds of students said he was a "rigorous thinker, a devoted teacher, and a gracious person."

Oh, and there was his "great hair!" It was a compliment, but also a reminder that law students sometimes come out of left field -- like many students at Yale Law School, where Kavanaugh also taught.

Current Yale students want the law school to oppose his nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. Like we said, left field.

Right Field

If Kavanaugh had chosen an academic's life, he would have been well-suited. Everybody knows he is a brilliant legal scholar, but his students say he was also a great professor.

Based on some 350 anonymous evaluations at Harvard, Yale, and Georgetown, the New York Times reported that students -- with rare exceptions -- praised his mastery of legal materials and intellectual rigor.

In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, many said Kavanaugh was "an inspiring professor and impressive intellect." They said he was "fair-minded," "generous with this time," and "encouraged students to voice different opinions."

"During classroom discussions, he displayed a keen interest in exploring all sides of a question," they wrote.

Left Field

In the law, of course, there are at least two sides to a question. That's why hundreds of Yale students want the law school to oppose Kavanaugh's nomination.

He graduated from Yale Law School, but the school has not endorsed him as a matter of policy. Still, hundreds of Yale faculty, students, and graduates have publicly praised him.

"We are proud of Judge Kavanaugh's nomination and believe that his accomplishments and qualifications speak for themselves," they wrote in a letter signed by more than 200 supporters.

Like law school debates, the Kavanaugh-as-teacher debate will continue for a while. At least until he is confirmed, then it will be a different story.

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard