Yale Law School’s Lack of Acknowledgement
J.D. Vance, the junior senator from Ohio, has been selected to be Donald Trump’s running mate. Despite Vance’s notable achievement, Yale Law School, his alma mater, has not mentioned this affiliation on its website. Instead, the site features items like a reading group on Taylor Swift organized by current students and meticulously chronicles media appearances by alumni, but omits any mention of Vance. This is particularly notable given that Vance, who graduated from Yale Law in 2013, is now potentially just an election away from the Oval Office.
Current Yale Law School Activities
The main page of Yale University similarly shows a lack of pride in one of the GOP’s rising stars. Current topics highlighted include the impact of routine violence on European empires, with no mention of Vance, who may influence conservative politics for years to come. Yale Law’s account on X highlights other alumni, such as Frank Jimenez, counsel for GE HealthCare, and Becca Heller, chief executive of the International Refugee Assistance Project, while ignoring Vance’s political rise.
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Vance’s Journey to Politics
Vance’s journey to Yale began in 2010 after his service in the U.S. Marines and attendance at Ohio State. He worked in venture capital and gained national attention in 2016 with his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” detailing his challenging upbringing. The last time Yale Law acknowledged him was in 2017 for a book talk he was to give on campus. His political career began soon after, and despite initial perceptions of him as a principled alternative to Trump-style populism, he eventually embraced this populism to gain Trump’s support. This included trying to erase his previous comparison of Trump to Adolf Hitler.
Alumni Reactions and Future Prospects
A communications representative for Yale Law did not respond to requests for comments on the omission. However, Yale alumni have expressed their thoughts. Michiko Kakutani, a 1976 Yale graduate and former New York Times book critic, criticized Yale Law School for producing prominent conservative figures like Vance, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, John Yoo, and Alan Dershowitz. She also noted that Ron DeSantis, another prominent conservative, graduated from Yale College.
Potential Successors and Future Implications
If Vance’s Senate seat becomes vacant, one Republican openly lobbying for the position is Vivek Ramaswamy, another anti-elite crusader and Yale Law graduate. This highlights the ongoing influence of Yale Law School alumni in conservative politics, even as the institution itself seems to distance itself from some of its most controversial graduates.
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