Ep. 239: Columbia University, Mahmoud Khalil, DEI, law firms, and more

We explore how censorship is impacting institutions — from
universities to law firms to the Maine House of Representatives.


Timestamps: 


00:00 Intro


01:40 Federal government cuts Columbia’s funding


16:57 Updates on the Mahmoud Khalil case


27:01 Ed Martin’s Georgetown letter


34:59 Trump targeting law firms


55:01 Maine House censure of Rep. Laurel Libby


01:03:37 Outro


Read the transcript.


Guests:


- Will Creeley, FIRE’s legal director


- Conor Fitzpatrick, FIRE’s supervising senior attorney


- Lindsie Rank, FIRE’s director of campus rights advocacy 


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Show notes:


- “DOJ, HHS, ED, and GSA announce initial cancelation of grants
and contracts to Columbia University worth $400 million” U.S.
Department of Justice (2025)


- HHS, ED, and GSA follow up letter to Columbia. U.S. Department
of Health & Human Services, U.S. Department of Education,
U.S. Government Services Administration (2025)


- “Columbia yields to Trump in battle over federal funding” The
Wall Street Journal (2025)


- “Advancing our work to combat discrimination, harassment, and
antisemitism at Columbia” Columbia University (2025)  


- “Columbia caves to feds — and sets a dangerous precedent” FIRE
(2025)


- “ED, HHS, and GSA Respond to Columbia University’s Actions to
Comply with Joint Task Force Pre-Conditions” U.S. Department of
Education (2025)


- “FIRE demands answers from Trump admin officials on arrest of
Mahmoud Khalil” FIRE (2025)


- “Brief of Amici Curiae in Support of Petitioner's Motion for
Preliminary Injunction - Khalil v. Joyce” FIRE (2025)


- “​​We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas
supporters in America so they can be deported.” Secretary of
State Marco Rubio via X (2025)


- “‘ICE proudly apprehended and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a
radical foreign Pro-Hamas student on the campus of @Columbia
University. This is the first arrest of many to come.’ President
Donald J. Trump” The White House via X (2025)


- “WATCH: White House downplays stock market declines as ‘a
snapshot’” PBS NewsHour (2025)


- “Secretary Rubio's remarks to the press” U.S. Department of
State (2025)


- “Mahmoud Khalil. Notice to appear.” Habeeb Habeeb via X (2025)


- “Alien and Sedition Acts” National Archives (1798)


- Ed Martin’s letter to Georgetown Law Dean William Treanor.
(2025)


- Dean Treanor’s response to Ed Martin. (2025)


- “Trump, Perkins Coie and John Adams” The Wall Street Journal
(2025)


- “Suspension of Security Clearances and Evaluation of Government
Contracts” The White House (2025)


- “Addressing Risks from Perkins Coie LLP” The White House (2025)


- “Addressing risks from Paul Weiss” The White House (2025)


- “Lawyers who anger the Feds face new penalties by decree” The
CATO Institute (2025)


- “Today, President Donald J. Trump agreed to withdraw his March
14, 2025 Executive Order regarding the Paul, Weiss, Rifkind,
Wharton & Garrison LLP law firm (‘Paul, Weiss’), which has
entered into the following agreement with the President…”
President Trump via TruthSocial (2025)


- “Head of Paul, Weiss says firm would not have survived without
deal with Trump” The New York Times (2025)


- “House resolution relating to the censure of Representative
Laurel D. Libby of Auburn by the Maine House of Representatives”
Maine House of Representatives (2025)


- “Maine’s censure of lawmaker for post about trans
student-athlete is an attack on free speech” FIRE (2025)


- “Maine State Rep. Laurel Libby disagreed with biological males
competing in women’s sports, and now, the Maine State House is
censuring her.” Sen. Kennedy via X (2025)


- “The open society and its enemies” Karl Popper (1945)


- “Cyber rights: Defending free speech in the digital age” Mike
Godwin (1995)