“Unhappy is the land that needs a hero,” penned Bertolt Brecht in his renowned play, Life of Galileo. As a proud alumnus of both Columbia University and the Paul, Weiss law firm, and a conservative who stands firmly against Trump, I find myself troubled by how these esteemed institutions have capitulated to the pressures of a domineering government. This capitulation hints at a broader systemic issue rather than individual institutional weakness.
The crux of the matter is Brecht’s wisdom: if a society is in need of heroes, it indicates a fundamental ailment. Rather than seeking heroism as a solution, we should aim to reduce the government’s coercive power.
In March, the Trump administration announced the cancellation of $400 million in federal grants and contracts with Columbia. The university quickly complied with policy changes to regain this funding. Concurrently, President Trump issued executive orders affecting several law firms, including Paul, Weiss. This involved suspending security clearances and terminating government contracts. Eventually, an agreement was reached where Paul, Weiss committed to $40 million in pro bono work for causes favored by Trump, leading to a withdrawal of the executive orders.
There has been extensive debate over whether Columbia and Paul, Weiss succumbed or sensibly compromised, but it is clear that both institutions took drastic measures to extricate themselves from governmental pressure. While I find the administration’s tactics oppressive, I hesitate to condemn the leaders of these institutions, as I doubt they had viable alternatives. It is far simpler to urge others to resist government demands than to do so oneself.
Historically, we have seen similar scenarios. In the late 1960s and 1970s, the civil rights movement achieved its primary goal of dismantling the Jim Crow laws in the South. However, as often happens with heroes, the movement sought new challenges, leading to the advocacy of racial preferences in hiring, contracting, and academic admissions under the guise of affirmative action to address past injustices.
With federal support, including executive orders from Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon and legislation like Section 8(a) of the Small Business Act, minority preferences were established. This practice of considering race in university admissions was widespread until the Supreme Court prohibited it in 2023.
Yorum Yap