Christina Ignatius
Oh no. Looks like Christina Ignatius — the lawyer who reached Above the Law levels of infamous with her offensive Crazy Rich Asians-inspired rant — has more racially charges skeletons in her closet. A tipster has dug into her Facebook post and found a complaint about another perceived racial slight, and this time it’s directed at a law firm.
If you couldn’t tell from the privilege and entitlement dripping from that first time Ignatius got into trouble over controversial social media (as well as her inept attempts to walk back from those statements), she’s a special little snowflake who gets all bent out of shape about the any perceived slight, no matter how small.
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In a post from April, she gets all insulted when a potential employer attempts to collect demographic information. It seems she applied for a new job (we know for sure it isn’t with Jones Day, no matter what her LinkedIn page may have you believe), and she was asked to voluntarily provide demographic information. The firm, as a government contractor, is required to ask applicants for the information, though candidates can elect not to provide that information.
This seems… like a totally innocuous request on the part of the law firm. Indeed, government contractors have been collecting that information since 1965. But don’t worry, Ignatius manages to be both offended by the request and lash out about it in a disturbingly offensive way. She writes:
I LOVE THESE LAW FIRMS: I’m more likely to be hired if I am an Asian woman, with traces of magical Indian or African American slavery roots, combined with a disability, plus some sort of military service!
I cannot with the “magical Indian” and “African American slavery roots.” I mean, what the hell? But I do enjoy how she tops off her casual racism with a dollop of anti-troop sentiment. She’ll never complete her obvious mission to become a Fox News correspondent like that.
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It seems Ignatius has no problem being known for offensive remarks, and she is just doubling down on her brand. What a terrible reflection both on her and on the state of the world in 2018.
UPDATE: Leah Wilson, Executive Director of the State Bar of California, has made the following statement about Ignatius’s social media blitz:
“Racial bias has no place in the practice of law. By statute and to protect the integrity of the attorney discipline process, whether a complaint has been filed with the State Bar and whether an investigation is in process are confidential. The State Bar thoroughly reviews all complaints of attorney misconduct and must adhere to the current rules governing attorney conduct. We work to ensure that all Californians have access to qualified and ethical attorneys. Additionally, effective November 1, new ethics rules for attorneys will include specific provisions to allow the State Bar to better hold attorneys accountable for discrimination and harassment based on race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other protected categories, in their representation of clients and in law firm operations.”
You can read her entire post, and the incredibly perfunctory request that inspired it, below.
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, and host of The Jabot podcast. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).