New York University's law school has scrapped an event planned by the Federalist Society, scheduled for October 7, citing concerns that protests would disrupt the event.
The event was set to feature conservative legal scholar Ilya Shapiro, who was going to discuss his new book, "Lawless: The Miseducation of American Elites."
There they go again…. pic.twitter.com/FqhRYk04sG
— Ilya Shapiro (@ishapiro) October 1, 2025
The law school’s director of institutional programming and governance, Penelope Fernandes, wrote to the Federalist Society chapter, "For security reasons, and because we anticipate an increased likelihood of demonstrations and protests connected to the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 incidents in Gaza, would it be possible to host Mr. Shapiro on another date? If you can change the date, please let us know."
The school also asked the organizers to move the location of the talk to "minimize disruptions in the event of a protest or demonstration."
The student organizers replied that they were willing to change the venue, but emphasized that Shapiro was only available on October 7th and that they “feel strongly we should hold the event then to avoid giving in to the heckler’s veto.”
Only a week later, Fernandes responded and informed the students they would be unable to host Shapiro at all. Associate Dean Megan McDermott informed the students that security concerns were a major factor in canceling the event.
"After a review of the already great demands on resources and personnel (including but certainly not limited to security personnel) during the week of October 6-10, 2025, I personally made the decision that we could not host your event on campus during that week," McDermott wrote. "This is not a decision based on the proposed program or speaker but rather based on an obligation to provide enhanced security generally on campus during that week as well as resource commitments we have already made across multiple buildings for public and closed events during the same period."
Shapiro himself responded to the incident, telling the Washington Free Beacon, "There could not be a more on-the-nose example of weak university officials in the face of a heckler’s veto than this farce. I’d be happy to give NYU’s dean a copy of my book so he can ‘do the work’ of learning how to be an effective and principled leader."
The school maintained that they had not canceled the event, but simply "requested that the Federalist Society find another date on which to invite Mr. Shapiro." However, the event is listed as "canceled" in the school's system.
While security concerns can sometimes justify canceling an event, it raises the question of how NYU has fallen so far that it cannot guarantee the safety of a conservative student group, or of a Jewish speaker, on its own campus. The answer may lie in the administration’s long-standing deference to radical left-wing groups, which have increasingly dictated campus policy, especially in the years since October 7, 2023. Even more so now, following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and the outright celebration of political violence by many, including professors, on the left.
Shapiro posted to X, "So instead @FedSoc is flying in two federal judges and @TheFIREorg’s Nadine Strossen (former ACLU head) so we can have a little nationally streamed conversation about free speech and antisemitism at a nearby off-campus venue."
So instead @FedSoc is flying in two federal judges and @TheFIREorg’s Nadine Strossen (former ACLU head) so we can have a little nationally streamed conversation about free speech and antisemitism at a nearby off-campus venue. https://t.co/esejPszBHA
— Ilya Shapiro (@ishapiro) October 1, 2025
This comes amid the Trump administration's investigation into NYU and its inability to prevent anti-Semitism on campus.