Kenneth Marcus, founder and chairman of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and a former U.S. assistant secretary of education for civil rights, has no idea why Virginia Democrats are trying to prevent him from becoming part of the George Mason University board.
“There’s really nothing that I can think of that I have done in office as a member of the board of visitors that has engendered any form of controversy,” he told JNS.
The “sole exception,” he said, was his work fighting Jew-hatred. “There’s really nothing else that has been controversial that I can think of.”
“One of my priorities, and the board’s, has been to focus on this issue, to question the administration, to work to ensure that antisemitism is addressed, that potentially violent incidents are prevented, and that there’s safety for everyone,” Marcus said.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin named Marcus, native of Great Falls, Va., and a distinguished senior fellow in the Liberty and Law Center at George Mason’s Antonin Scalia Law School, as one of three new appointments to the board of visitors of the public Fairfax, Va., university in June 2024.
“I’ve been proud to support Governor Youngkin’s recent work combating antisemitism here in Virginia, including his leadership in legislation adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism,” Marcus told JNS at the time. “I deeply appreciate his support for adding my voice to the board.”
Virginia’s Democrat-majority Senate Privileges and Elections Committee moved in a recent party-line vote to axe Marcus from consideration for confirmation. The next step is for the state’s General Assembly to vote on Marcus’s future at George Mason.
Those efforts come shortly after the FBI arrested a George Mason student, who allegedly planned to attack the Israeli Consulate General in New York.
“I have heard concerns from George Mason’s Jewish students, faculty and stakeholders about the situation on campus, and I have to say that they are right to be concerned,” Marcus told JNS. “Some of the incidents that have gained media attention should be a matter of concern to anyone who cares about public safety.
Marcus described George Mason’s response to anti-Israel campus encampments as “good” and “better than many institutions.” But there is more to do, he told JNS.
“We absolutely cannot say that the work is done and that we don’t need to worry anymore about addressing antisemitic and other bias incidents at George Mason University,” he said.
“There are more questions that need to be asked. There are outstanding questions that need to be answered, and there are additional steps that need to be taken,” he said. “I would hope that the General Assembly does nothing to stop that process.”
Youngin stated on Jan. 24 that “Senate Democrats rejected highly-qualified, nationally-recognized individuals, who have already been serving with distinction on a volunteer basis.”
“What reasons did they offer for their actions other than their own extreme partisanship? None,” the governor stated. “Repeatedly, they could not articulate a single substantive reason to reject them.”
“Stunningly, Senate Democrats rejected a George Mason University board member, who is one of the nation’s leading legal experts in combatting antisemitism,” Youngkin stated. “His leadership at the university is invaluable at a time when there is an ongoing investigation into activities that warranted actions to protect Jewish students on campus and a student has been arrested for plotting a terrorist attack on the Israeli consulate in New York.”
“Senate Democrats have rejected excellence. This isn’t just simply petty politics. Their actions hurt Virginia and institutions like George Mason University and Virginia Military Institute,” he added. “Virginians are looking to the House to right this wrong.”
The arrest of the George Mason student “underscores the rising danger of on-campus extremism,” the Combat Antisemitism Movement told JNS.
The school’s “efforts to address such threats and combat antisemitism only stand to benefit from Ken Marcus’s unmatched expertise, making his board confirmation an urgent need that should be above petty partisan politics,” the group added.
The New York Times dubbed Marcus “the man who helped redefine campus antisemitism” last March.
The Brandeis Center, which Marcus runs, settled a lawsuit with Harvard University earlier this week, with Harvard agreeing to adopt the IHRA definition.
“I would call this a Trump effect,” he told JNS about the settlement. “Nobody wants to have pending litigation when the new sheriff comes to town. I would credit the force of President Trump’s statements about campus antisemitism as a significant reason why so many colleges have been more interested in resolving cases in recent weeks than they had been prior to the general election.”
Of the Virginia Democrats trying to block his appointment, Marcus told JNS that he has “been heartened to hear that many people within the Virginia Jewish community have been reaching out to their legislators.”
“I’m grateful to the support I’ve had from within the Jewish communities of Virginia,” he said.