Yale Law students are used to having their alumni in the White House. Perhaps that’s why the prospect of another has little bearing on their choice for the next president.
Law students interviewed Tuesday night said Hillary Clinton’s LAW ’73 Yale degree is not a factor in their decision of whom to support in the 2008 election. Many law students are active volunteers and organizers for all the major campaigns, and they said Clinton’s alma mater implies no obligation for them to favor her.
Leslie Pope LAW ’10, whose boyfriend attends Harvard Law School, said when he visited Yale he remarked about the numerous “YLS for Hillary” posters compared to the many “HLS for Obama” posters at Harvard.
“He thought there was some potential school rivalry there, but I don’t know how true that is,” Pope said.
Students said they support or do not support Clinton for the same reasons as anyone else, not because of where she earned her J.D.
“People are very interested in the primary and definitely thinking about it, but I don’t get the sense that people support Hillary because she’s an alumna,” Ashley Lynn LAW ’10. “People support Hillary and Obama and McCain. There’s a mix of viewpoints.”
Christen Young LAW ’09, the co-chair of Yale Law School Democrats, said students are excited about the election and many are working for a variety of campaigns, but there is no clear favorite among them.
Ami Parekh LAW ’09 MED ’09, an active Obama supporter, said this year’s race is too important to hang on a candidate’s alma mater.
“There’s a really strong ‘Law School for Obama’ movement and a strong ‘Law School for Hillary’ movement,” she said. “Everyone knows how important this election is and the long-term consequences it will have, and basing your decision on where someone went to school or on their gender or race or these other immutable characteristics is not a smart way to make a decision in an election like this.”
Clinton visited the Yale Child Study Center on Monday morning but did not make a stop at the Law School.