Law school is investigated for Judge Judy's female-only scholarship program
The Judge Judy Sheindlin Honors Scholars Program is primarily open to women with financial need and the right credentials. Photo courtesy of CBS Television Distribution.
New York Law School is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for a scholarship program for women funded by Judge Judy Sheindlin, according to a report by Law.com.
Mark Perry, an economics professor emeritus at the University of Michigan, tweeted last week that he received notice that the school is under investigation as a result of his complaint about the female-only program.
The Judge Judy Sheindlin Honors Scholars Program is primarily open to women with financial need and the right credentials, according to Law.com.
The investigation is to determine whether the program violates Title IX, which bars discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal funds.
Ariel Dvorkin, a spokesperson for New York Law School, told Law.com that the school takes a nondiscriminatory approach to scholarships.
“We are working with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and are confident that the matter will be resolved in short order,” Dvorkin said.
Judge Judy also responded to Law.com’s request for comment in an emailed statement.
“Professor Perry’s assault on scholarships for 10 academically gifted women who can’t afford law school is petty,” wrote Sheindlin in an emailed statement, according to Law.com. “He says he has filed 700 such actions. He has too much time on his hands.”
“Here’s one that’s suited for his agenda. Lincoln Center in NYC gets federal money for its educational programs,” Sheindlin said in the statement. “They have 75 toilets for women and only 52 urinals for men. That is discrimination that should not be tolerated in Mr. Perry’s world. Go for it!”
Perry told the College Fix in an email that New York Law School should have known better.
“It’s really surprising that neither Judge Judy nor a law school filled with lawyers and a Title IX coordinator either didn’t realize or weren’t concerned that sex-based discrimination is illegal according to Title IX,” Perry said.
He said he thinks that the school could fix the Title IX violation by ending female-only scholarships by opening the scholarship program to everyone or by creating an equivalent male-only scholarship program.
See also:
ABAJournal.com: “Judge Judy creates women’s scholarship program at New York Law School”
ABAJournal.com: “Judge Judy, in a rare interview, reflects on her iconic TV show as it reaches its final season”
