HLSA Policy on Issuing Statements

Resolution of the Executive Committee of the Harvard Law School Association adopted on December 2023

WHEREAS, the Constitution of the Association states that the organization was formed in 1886 to “advance the cause of legal education, to promote the interests and increase the usefulness of the Harvard Law School, and to promote mutual acquaintance and good fellowship among all members of the HLSA”;

WHEREAS, the Constitution of the Association states that the objects of the Association “shall be to advance the Harvard Law School by fostering networking and mutual support between the Harvard Law School and its alumni, faculty, and students”;

WHEREAS the Constitution of the Association further states that “all activities of the Association shall be conducted exclusively for the purposes of the Association and of the Harvard Law School”;

WHEREAS, it is not the object of the Association or its Clubs or Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) to issue statements about campus, national, or international developments;

WHEREAS, the Association does not desire or intend to restrict the rights to freedom of speech, expression, and/or association that its members and leaders otherwise enjoy;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Association adopts the following official Policy: 

1. Neither the Association nor any HLSA Club or SIG shall issue statements about campus, national, or international developments; and
2. When an individual affiliated with the Association, including any HLSA Club or SIG, makes or joins a statement about campus, national, or international developments in their individual or non-Association capacity, such individual shall reasonably ensure that the statement is not inadvertently attributed to the Association, the Harvard Law School, or Harvard University.  In general, if a statement may reasonably be linked to the Association, Law School, or University because of topic or context, the individual should state they are speaking in their individual capacity.