Name of school revised to Antonin Scalia Law School after social media jabs
After jabs from social media users, plans to rename George Mason University's law school after late Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia have been revised.
One week after announcing the Antonin Scalia School of Law, The New York Times reported that the university had changed the law school’s name yet again. In a letter sent to the George Mason University community, law school dean Henry Butler wrote that the school would be renamed the Antonin Scalia Law School, citing “some acronym controversy on social media” with the original name.
After the original announcement last week, some social media users noted the unflattering nature of the original name’s acronyms: ASSoL, or ASSLAW.
The original announcement was made following a $30 million donation from the Charles Koch Foundation and an anonymous donor, contingent on renaming the law school after Scalia.
The decision has been followed by criticism from students and alumni concerning the Scalia's conservative social views. However, in the original renaming announcement, friend and fellow Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg called the decision a “fitting tribute” for the late justice.
Pending approval from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, the name change will take effect on July 1.
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