The Board of Visitors at George Mason University has voted to rename the university’s law school after the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, according to the Wall Street Journal.
.@georgemasonlaw will be “The Antonin Scalia School of Law at George Mason University” pending State Council of Higher Ed for Va. approval.
— George Mason News (@GeorgeMasonNews) March 31, 2016
The school announced the name change Thursday, along with $30 million donation to GMU, $20 million of which came from an anonymous donor while the other $10 million was donated by Charles Koch, billionaire, philanthropist, CEO of Koch Industries and famous conservative.
Scalia had a pretty controversial career in the Supreme Court, which is why GMU’s decision to honor him in this way isn’t exactly making some people jump for joy. Before his death in February, Justice Scalia’s rulings on many issues were detrimental to women, minorities, and members of the LGBT community. After the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all states last June, Scalia wrote in a statement that the decision was a “threat to American democracy.” To add, many users on Twitter are finding humor in the university’s decision by trending a hashtag for the school’s very unfortunate acronym.
Considering Scalia’s opinions, I’d say this is fitting.#ASSLaw https://t.co/zp19fUtsxx
— Maggie Jordan (@MaggieJordanACN) March 31, 2016
Oh. My. God. The other shorthand for The Antonin Scalia School of Law (#ASSLaw) at @GeorgeMasonU is #ASSoL.
— Kate Oh (@kathoh) March 31, 2016
George Mason was named after one of the founding fathers who refused to sign the Constitution, which is another reason why some found the name change a little ironic. A piece published on Above the Law critcized the decision, pointing out that Scalia didn’t even go to George Mason.
“That’s the guy you are renaming your school after,” the post’s writer, Elie Mystal questioned. “Your Twitter hashtag is now #ASSLaw (Antonin Scalia School of Law). Who was in second place, Donald Trump?”
Still, some people such as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg claim that the name change only makes sense and is one of the best ways that the school could honor Scalia.
“It is a tribute altogether fitting that George Mason University’s law school will bear his name,” she said. “May the funds for scholarships, faculty growth, and curricular development aid the Antonin Scalia School of Law to achieve the excellence characteristic of Justice Scalia, grand master in life and law.”