An image of slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk is placed at a memorial in his honor, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. The State Department said it has revoked the visas of several foreigners over negative comments about Kirk's assassination. (Jim Urquhart/Reuters)
Each of the students cited different attempts to intimidate speech or detract from attempts to engage with others in good faith that they’ve encountered — part of a broader pattern playing out at campuses nationwide.
Last month, administrators for New York University Law School canceled a pro-Israel legal scholar, Ilya Shapiro, from speaking at an event hosted by the Federalist Society chapter on Oct. 7.
Administrators had originally suggested that the group postpone the event date, citing concerns of protest and anticipated unrest. The students resisted and insisted on keeping the date, saying instead that relocating or postponing would amount to "giving in to the heckler’s veto."
Public backlash ensued, and eventually administrators agreed to allow Shapiro to speak at the event as planned.
The unrest has only intensified in recent years, and the students cited instances of attempts to intimidate them or ostracize members, ranging from the subtle to overt.
At the University of Michigan, students gathered outside a Federalist Society event "taking notes of who was coming and going," said Matthew Holmes, president of the chapter at the University of Michigan School of Law.
‘UNPRECEDENTED’ ANTISEMITISM PANEL TACKLES SURGING NATIONAL ISSUE
A woman holds a sign as people attend a vigil hosted by Turning Point USA for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Colorado State University, on what was supposed be the next stop on his speaking tour, in Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S. September 18, 2025. (Cheney Orr/Reuters)
"I think that's something that struck us all deeply," Huang said of Kirk's death, and the environment on campus. "The threat of political violence — especially against conservatives in law school, and college campuses — it’s something that's very troubling to have in the back of your mind."
But, he added, those fears were quickly put to rest by an event that the Yale Federalist Society chapter hosted just one day later, focused on the contentious topic of birthright citizenship. "It was one of our most controversial events of the semester," Huang said. "I was worried. I asked for more security, but things went well, and we actually had the highest attendance we've had in years."
"There's this sentiment that attendance equals endorsement," said Holmes.
He said of Kirk, "I think one of his best quotes is, 'When people stop talking, that's when violence starts.' And I see a lot of people that are just unwilling to engage, that they don't even see the opposition's ideas of worthy of legitimacy, worthy of acknowledgment."
At the end of the day, Holmes said, "this idea that I can't even talk to you because your ideas are so repulsive — that just can't last if we're going to have a democratic republic."
"I think other FedSoc presidents are reporting similar things happening, as people are realizing the importance of channeling our disagreements — into debates, into events, into speech — as opposed to violence."
To be sure, students say these efforts still have a ways to go.
Still, they struck an optimistic tone about the future. Lamb noted her dean’s leadership and Texas’s political climate, while Holmes pointed to new civil discourse funding at the University of Michigan aimed at bringing students from across the ideological spectrum together for structured, earnest dialogue.
Banners on the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library at the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 27, 2025. (Sophie Park/Bloomberg)
"[What's] so unique about the Federalist Society and its community is that people aren't cynical towards looking towards the future," Lamb said. "They're energized. And in a world that so often tells young people to find something to be outraged about, it's really refreshing to be around folks and students, attorneys, who are genuinely eager to think deeply about where the law is going and where we should go next."
"Just this last week, we brought the Attorney General of Tennessee, Jonathan Scrametti, who had just won a landmark Supreme Court case regarding gender transition, surgeries, and chemicals for children," Huang said.
"People hung up posters, brought them to events, saying Fed Soc invites child killers, and you know, people are well within their rights to express that disagreement — but that kind of irresponsible rhetoric is the sort of thing that raises the temperature in the national political sphere," he continued.
"And I think we're all too well aware of the consequences that can follow. How I'd prefer people to express their disagreement is simple," Huang said. "Come, show up to the event and ask hard questions."
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That was echoed by each of the students, who will each be participating in this year's conference in public-facing ways.
The Federalist Society's student division and rotating student chapter president will host a live event at this year's conference where they interview judges about a passion, hobby, or interest — and its relation to the law. Holmes and Caroline Martin, the head of the Federalist Society's chapter at the University of North Carolina School of Law, will host this year's sit-downs.
The hope, organizers said, is to help personalize judges beyond their day jobs, and drive home the fact that they are people, underneath the strict courtroom procedures and heavy black robes.
"Come to the events, have your ideas challenged," Holmes said of the Federalist Society chapters nationwide. "Feel free to push back. We really, really want to scrutinize ideas. Because when we do that, that's when we draw the best conclusions."
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI and other national news. She previously covered national politics at the Washington Examiner and The Washington Post, with additional bylines in Politico Magazine, the Colorado Gazette and others. You can send tips to Breanne at Breanne.Deppisch@fox.com, or follow her on X at @breanne_dep.
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