Elizabeth Warren Says She Was Sexually Harassed As A Young Law Professor

One of the most powerful women in government had a #MeToo moment at a law school.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Yes, I have a ‘me, too’ story too. I was a baby law professor and so excited to have my first real teaching job. And there was this senior faculty member who, you know, would tell dirty jokes and make comments about my appearance.

And one day he asked me if I would stop by his office, which I didn’t think much about. And I did. And he slammed the door and lunged for me. It was like a bad cartoon. He’s chasing me around the desk, trying to get his hands on me.

And I kept saying, ‘You don’t want to do this. You don’t want to do this. I have little children at home. Please don’t do this.’ And trying to talk calmly. And at the same time, what was flickering through my brain is, ‘If he gets hold of me, I’m going to punch him right in the face.’ …

After several rounds, I jumped for the door and got out. And I went back to my office and I just sat and shook. And thought, ‘What had I done to bring this on?’ And I told my best friend about it. Never said a word to anyone else. But for a long time, I wore a lot of brown.…

What it means now that so many people have spoken out, is it’s a way to say, ‘We’re here for each other.’ And it’s also a way to say, ‘No. It’s not about what you did. He’s the one who stepped out of line. And this is on him.’

— Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), recalling the sexual harassment she faced when she was starting out as a law professor, during a recent episode of NBC’s Meet the Press. Although Warren began her teaching career at Rutgers Law and later moved to the University of Houston Law Center, it is unclear at this time where the incident occurred.


Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.