Khymani James, a former student leader at Columbia University’s anti-Israel encampment who stated in January 2024 that “Zionists don’t deserve to live,” filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) unlawfully pressured the university to bar him from campus in retaliation for his political speech, according to court records.
In the complaint, filed on Feb. 5 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, James claims that Foxx abused her authority as chair of the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee by intervening with Columbia administrators and demanding his expulsion over statements he made that were critical of Israel.
The lawsuit alleges that Foxx’s actions constituted viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment, arguing that criticism of Zionism was improperly conflated with antisemitism by congressional investigators and university officials.
The lawsuit cites a September social media post by Foxx in which she wrote that Columbia leadership told her James “would be expelled for his antisemitic rhetoric,” adding that the university failed to act.
Columbia responded publicly at the time that James had been barred from campus and was no longer a registered student. According to the filing, James was initially suspended in 2024 and later required to seek permission to return under revised university policies.
In August, a Columbia dean denied his request to re-enroll for the fall semester and instead permitted him to reapply for fall 2026. James contends that the dean’s decision amounted to a “de facto expulsion” and was influenced by congressional pressure as the university sought to restore federal funding amid scrutiny over campus antisemitism.
The suit seeks declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as damages for alleged interference with James’s contractual relationship with the university.
“This lawsuit’s lack of credibility and factual basis speaks for itself,” Foxx stated. “I stand behind the committee’s antisemitism investigation and won’t be deterred from my fight to protect Jewish students from discrimination on campuses across the nation.”
