Wisconsin Law Students Upset To Encounter Opposing Views

Attorneys from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty will teach at UW-Madison in the spring semester

Skylar Croy and Dan Lennington

Two attorneys from the conservative law firm Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) will teach at UW Law School in the spring semester, frustrating some progressive students.

Skylar Croy and Dan Lennington will teach “Selected Problems in Constitutional Law: Constitutional Litigation,” which covers the Reconstruction Amendments and cases related to them.

Croy told The Madison Federalist, “This will be a class that explores legal arguments from many sides. Students will read Justice Ginsburg, but they will also read Judge Bork. It isn’t our job to teach students to think about the law through a particular lens; rather, it is our job to arm them with the tools they need to formulate and evaluate legal arguments.”

He continued, “We would be proud of any student who went on to litigate important public interest matters, regardless of which side they argued.”

Despite the innocuous nature of the course, left-leaning students still objected.

Law student Mary Berg, president of the American Constitution Society and Queer Law Students Association, sent an email to UW Law deans that said Croy “intentionally puts students in harm’s way.”

She told The Daily Cardinal, “Some people want to enroll in this course and really use this as a test of their ideological strength. I am not one of those people.”

The Madison Federalist contacted Berg but she did not respond to a request for comment.

In another email to leaders of student groups, Berg warned that WILL sued the Wisconsin State Bar over its Diversity Clerkship Program and criticized a mandatory “reorientation” program at UW Law which asserted “it is racist to attack affirmative action.”

The Indigenous Law Student Association later held a meeting to “discuss this upcoming course.”

The Madison Federalist contacted student leadership of various progressive law student groups but received no direct responses to questions about the course. However, one law student who did not wish to be named disparaged the “journalistic integrity” of The Federalist and criticized a recent story as “a violation of the freedoms afforded to a classroom as spaces to learn and grow.”

The teaching duo has received support from conservative students. Samantha Crane, an openly conservative law student, said, “I commend UW Law School for hiring Skylar Croy and Dan Lennington to teach a Reconstruction Amendments course this spring. Promoting viewpoint diversity is essential to maintaining a vibrant and intellectually rigorous academic environment.”

She continued, “By fostering a broad range of perspectives, the school better prepares students to navigate the complex legal issues we will face in our careers. Engaging with differing viewpoints is where the most meaningful learning happens, and students should embrace opportunities to challenge and refine their perspectives.”

Croy graduated second in his class from UW Law School and served as editor-in-chief of the law review. He “clerked for four years at the state supreme court, first for Chief Justice Roggensack and then for Justice Rebecca Bradley.” He has also written “several law review articles that have been cited by courts, scholars, and attorneys nationwide, including in recent high-profile cases.”

Croy told The Federalist, “Dan and I have co-authored papers that have been presented at the Cato Institute and Pacific Legal Foundation. For the past year, I have been a litigator on WILL’s team. I am also over halfway through a master’s program at Harvard Extension.”

He also praised Lennington’s credentials, noting his “impressive resume,” which includes serving as a federal prosecutor and deputy solicitor general for Wisconsin.

Croy said the pair supports “every student’s right to free speech. People are welcome to criticize us and the work WILL does. With that being said, this course will present a variety of views on the law, from across the political spectrum.”

“We encourage and welcome students who may not agree with WILL’s mission to consider taking our course. Being a good lawyer requires exposure to arguments one may not agree with.”

Croy concluded, “We are thankful to the university for this opportunity, and we look forward to teaching this class in the spring.”

A recent analysis found that 99% of political donations from UW faculty go to Democrats, suggesting that Croy and Lennington will be in an extreme ideological minority among those who teach at the university.

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