Cornell Republicans Get a Lawyer With an Interesting Track Record

After endorsing Gary Johnson for President, Cornell Republicans were de-recognized by the New York Federation of College Republicans.

To most conservatives on campus, the Federation’s actions made sense. However, Cornell Republicans leadership was not not too happy about that, and today it was reported by the Cornell Sun that they filed an administrative appeal with the College Republican National Committee (CRNC) for immediate reinstatement in the New York Federation.

According to the Sun report, Cornell Republicans have enlisted the services of an attorney, Ron Kuby J.D. ’83.

The Sun continues:

In his letter, Kuby blamed the Chair of the New York Federation of College Republicans, Eli Nachmany — who he calls a “Trump supporter” working on the Republican candidate’s campaign — for calling an abrupt executive board vote, which resulted in a disregard for free speech protections. Nachmany did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“I write to you to take an appeal from the outrageous violations of my client’s free speech and due process rights perpetrated by Nachmany … when he revoked the credentials of the Cornell Republicans and suspended them as a member of the Federation without notice and in violation of the Federation’s constitution and bylaws,” Kuby wrote in the letter.

Arguing that the federation’s constitution only stipulates support for “conservative” principles and candidates, not specifically Republican ones, Kuby asserted that the federation vote violated the association’s own constitution. He also pointed out that there is no mechanism for expelling college Republican chapters, indicating that the revocation was both hasty and unprecedented.

One strains to understand how this is a free speech issue, but surely with Kuby taking on the case, Cornell Republicans must have something. Kuby is, after all, no amateur lawyer. Here are a few of his past clients:

– The “Blind Sheikh” Omar Abdel-Rahman – connections to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, terrorist attacks in Egypt leading to over a 1,000 deaths 1993 alone, and another plot to bomb New York City landmarks including the United Nations Building and the Brooklyn Bridge
– El Sayyid Nosair – accused but ultimately acquitted for the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane and later convicted for New York City landmark bombing plot; accusations that Osama Bin Laden and family financed his legal defense
– Dr. Alan Berkman ’67 – convicted of armed robbery and explosives possession and a member of domestic terrorist group Weather Underground
– Yu Kikumura – a member of the Japanese Red Army, a communist militant group, convicted of interstate transport of explosives

Interesting, to say the least.