You have /5 articles left.
Sign up for a free account or log in.
CUNY graduates protested the system’s investment in Israel in 2024.
Selcuk Acar/Anadolu/Getty Images
The Supreme Court of New York has ruled that the City University of New York must hand over endowment records in response to a public records request made by a law student last year.
Last year, Sarah Southey, a CUNY law student involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy, filed a public records request seeking details on university investment holdings and contracts with certain vendors. Her request came at a time when pro-Palestinian student groups were pushing universities to divest from Israel and companies doing business with the country, which advocates have argued contributes to human rights abuses in Gaza. CUNY, a public system, denied the request, arguing for a trade secrets exemption. Southey responded to the denial with a lawsuit.
The courts ultimately sided with Southey, demanding CUNY release the requested records.
Now the university system will have to hand over reports on its holdings, investment policies and any contracts with 30 major companies, including household names like Boeing and Dell.
The ACLU of New York, which represented Southey in the lawsuit, announced the ruling in a Thursday news release.
“The Court rightly affirmed that CUNY’s refusal to disclose its investment records to CUNY for Palestine was unlawful,” NYCLU staff attorney Veronica Salama said. “Public universities like CUNY have a legal obligation to uphold transparency and treat all its students, faculty, and community members equally, no matter their viewpoint. CUNY can’t just pick and choose which viewpoints to respect and which to ignore—every student deserves fair, equal treatment.”
A CUNY spokesperson told Inside Higher Ed, “The University is reviewing the court’s decision, its legal options and possible next steps.”
