Thousands sign petition supporting Georgetown Law dean who defended DEI programs
Former Georgetown Law Dean William Treanor defended the school’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs after a federal prosecutor warned that its graduates could be blacklisted from internships if the initiatives continued.
His stance came as other institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the American Bar Association, retreated from DEI policies amid national political pressure.
Thousands have signed a petition supporting the former dean of Georgetown University’s Law Center in Washington D.C. as he defends the school’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies despite the Trump administration’s crackdown on the controversial policy.
Earlier this year, former Dean William Treanor received a letter from interim U.S. Attorney Edward Martin warning that Georgetown Law’s graduates would be prevented from participating in some internships unless the school eliminated DEI initiatives, according to The National Catholic Reporter.
In response, Treanor resolved to fight on behalf of DEI. “You have to stand up for your values and the values of the university,” Treanor said. “A great tradition of Jesuit universities is to make our society more diverse and inclusive, and the government doesn’t get to tell us we can’t do that.”
An advocacy group organized a petition in support of Treanor, which has received thousands of signatures.
As of publishing time, Georgetown Law’s website currently has a page dedicated to its DEI initiatives. The page describes the school’s DEI mission as central to its Jesuit values and legal education.
“While we are proud of the progress Georgetown Law has made over the years, we recognize there is still so much work ahead of us,” the page continues. “And we will keep working until Georgetown Law becomes a model for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in legal education.”
Other law-related institutions, however, are walking away from DEI. The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School announced it would close its Office of Equal Opportunity and Engagement, its longtime DEI office, to integrate “belonging” initiatives throughout the school.
The American Bar Association also suspended its DEI requirement for law schools after President Donald Trump’s executive actions rolling back DEI policies.
Campus Reform has reported about other instances of left-wing rhetoric and bias on Georgetown’s campus.
In September, for instance, posters from the unrecognized John Brown Gun Club appeared across Georgetown University, bearing the slogan “Hey, Fascist! Catch!”—the same phrase found on cartridge casings allegedly used in Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
The far-left, Antifa-linked group claimed to “celebrate when Nazis die.” Georgetown officials removed the flyers, denouncing violence and confirming an active campus police investigation.
A recent report additionally revealed that Georgetown University received over $1 billion from Qatar since 2005, raising concerns about foreign influence and underreporting. The study claimed Qatari funding shaped Georgetown’s academics and faculty hiring, normalizing “Islamic ideology.”
It also cited anti-Semitic incidents and pro-Hamas demonstrations on campus, according to reporting by The Jewish Journal.
Campus Reform has contacted Georgetown Law for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
