Law Schools

Top Law School Has A Brand New Name

Now with less genocide!

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UC Law SFNew year, new law school! That’s the news out of the former University of California Hastings College of the Law which will now go by University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, aka UC College of the Law, San Francisco or UC Law SF. The reason behind the name change, something the California governor signed into law, is nothing less than genocide.

The decision to move away from the Hastings moniker came after a restorative justice project that was started because Serranus Hastings was directly involved in the massacre of Native Americans. Hastings financed financed Indian hunting expeditions —  that is, killing humans for sport  — which contributed to his fortunes. Back in 2017, John Briscoe, a Distinguished Fellow of the Law of the Sea Institute at UC Berkeley School of Law and an adjunct professor at UC Hastings College of the Law, wrote about the problematic actions of Serranus Hastings (and Leland Stanford) who both have law schools named after them.

All systems appeared ready to go last year when, in October, a lawsuit was filed by descendants of Serranus Hastings and a group of alumni opposing the name change. In November, the law school filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, and committed to moving forward with the name change in 2023.

And as of January 1st, the law school — ranked 51st by U.S. News and World Report — is now officially UC Law SF. In a New Year’s message to the law school community, Dean David L. Faigman said the process of physically and digitally removing the references to the Hastings name will continue through the first half of the year and that this marks a new chapter for the school:

Yes, change is afoot. However, what will not change or be lost in 2023 and beyond are the history and tradition of this storied institution, our continued dedication to academic excellence, and our commitment to producing exceptional graduates in law. We are not running from our history; in fact, we have actively confronted it. As we change the name on the walls of our buildings and digital footprint, we remain the school founded in 1878 as the first “law department of the University of California.” We have simply begun a new chapter.

Congrats to the law school on the new name.

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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. 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 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.

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