Judge Stephen Vaden is a judge on the US Court of International Trade. He was appointed to the bench in 2020 by President Donald Trump.
On May 6, 2024, thirteen federal judges, including Judge Vaden, sent a letter to Columbia University condemning the repeated instances of antisemitism on the campus after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
An inmate convicted of terrorism and vandalism offenses filed a judicial misconduct complaint against Judge Vaden for signing the letter. Specially, the inmate was convicted of terrorism for firebombing Jewish houses of worship. The misconduct complaint is currently pending before the Seventh Circuit’s Judicial Council.
The Chief Judges of the Court of Federal Claims, and United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits, dismissed similar complaints about the letter. Those dismissals have all been affirmed by the relevant Judicial Councils.
The inmate has no connection to Columbia University, any law school, Judge Vaden, or any case that could come before Judge Vaden.
First Liberty, along with Lisa Blatt from Williams & Connolly LLP, represent Judge Vaden.
In April 2025, the Judicial Council of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit dismissed the complaint.
News Release
For Immediate Release: 4.9.25
Contact: John Manning, media@firstliberty.org
Direct: 972-941-4453
Complaint Filed by Convicted Terrorist Against Federal Judge Boycotting Columbia Law Grads Dismissed
Judge Stephen Vaden joined twelve other federal judges in boycott after protests related to the Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023.
Chicago, IL—The Judicial Council of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit dismissed a judicial misconduct complaint filed against U.S. Court of International Trade Judge Stephen A. Vaden. Vaden is represented by First Liberty Institute and Lisa Blatt Lisa Blatt, Tyler Becker, Rohit Asirvatham, and Hallie Saunders from Williams & Connolly LLP.
You can read the decision, here.
“We applaud the Seventh Circuit’s decision to fully dismiss the complaint against Judge Vaden,” said Hiram Sasser, Executive General Counsel for First Liberty Institute.
An inmate filed the judicial misconduct complaint against Judge Vaden after Vaden and several other federal judges signed a letter announcing their boycott against law-clerk candidates affiliated with Columbia University after students at Columbia protested in opposition to Israeli military actions in Gaza in response to Hamas terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023. Specially, the inmate was “serving a sentence in a state prison after a jury found him guilty of arson, terrorism, and other crimes stemming from his role in firebombing and vandalizing Jewish houses of worship.”
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts transferred the complaint from the United States Court of International Trade to the judicial council of the Seventh Circuit under Rule 26 of the Rules for Judicial-Conduct and Judicial-Disability Proceedings. After receiving the transferred complaint, the Seventh Circuit referred it to a special committee. The committee unanimously recommended that that the Seventh Circuit dismiss the complaint, which it did, in full.
The Seventh Circuit’s decision states, “Except to the extent prohibited by these regulations and guidelines, judges have wide discretion to establish their own screening and selection criteria in appointing law clerks. This latitude permits judges to make distinctions among applicants based on their own determinations of the relevant criteria or qualifications, including where the applicants were educated. Some judges only hire graduates of certain law schools. Some tailor their preferences to the specific needs of their court or chambers—for example, by looking for candidates from law schools with excellent writing or trial advocacy programs or strong core curricula in relevant subject areas.”
###
About First Liberty Institute
First Liberty Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm and the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.
To arrange an interview, contact John Manning at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453.
Judicial Council of the Seventh Circuit Dismissal – 4.8.25
Eleventh Circuit Dismissal – 8.12.24
Fifth Circuit Dismissal – 6.24.24
 |
|
|
CASE SUMMARY
PRESS RELEASES
LEGAL DOCUMENTS
PHOTOS AND VIDEO
