Law school name changes can be a big deal. Donate to a prestigious school to get the name changed and you risk nobody taking it seriously. Sorry Penn Carey. If you really want to make the most of it, you’ve got to be there at the inception. When Serranus Clinton Hastings put down some cash to have a law school named after himself for the duration of forever, it seemed like a pretty good investment. And it was! For about 145 years. At that point UC Law School San Francisco decided to ditch its previous name to shake off being associated with indigenous genocide. Surviving Hastings were so tilted by the name change that they took the school to court over it. And after run ins and losses with court cases, they’ve been handed another L. Law.com has coverage:
California’s Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to review a state law renaming the San Francisco law school known for more than a century as the University of California Hastings College of the Law.
The court without comment let stand a First District Court of Appeal ruling last year that rejected claims by alumni and descendants of namesake Serranus Hastings that the Legislature and the school’s board of directors had no authority to remove Hastings’ name. The unanimous appellate panel also found that the state was not bound by an 1878 law requiring the school to provide a seat on the board to the Hastings family in perpetuity.
Womp Womp. Quite a heavy loss for a family expecting $1.7B in breach of contract damages. Legacy and huge windfall on the line, the losing party is hoping that the Supreme Court will give them the ruling they’re looking for.
We’ll be sure to cover when the court of last resort tells them to kick rocks.
California Supreme Court Lets Decision Stand Scrubbing Hastings’ Name From UC Law School [Law.com]
Earlier: Hastings Family Money Grab Thwarted By California Judge
You’re Named After Who? This Top Law School Will Have To Fight For Its New Name
Is Genocide A Good Enough Reason For These Law Schools To Change Their Names?
Top Law School Has A Brand New Name
Descendants Of Serranus Hastings Sue To Keep Name Of Genocider On Law School
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
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