Yale Law dean who oversaw 'trap house' controversy now being considered for university president

Yale Law School Dean Heather Gerken is under consideration to become the university’s next president, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

In October 2021, Gerken was at the center of the response to student Trent Colbert’s email inviting other students to a Constitution Day party hosted by the Federalist Society chapter, according to the outlet.

“This Friday at 7:30, we will be christening our very own (soon to be) world-renowned NALSA Trap House . . . by throwing a Constitution Day Bash in collaboration with FedSoc,” said the email. “Planned attractions include Popeye’s chicken, basic-bitch-American-themed snacks (like apple pie, etc).”

The email from Colbert, who is Cherokee and a member of the Native American Law Students Association, faced pushback for its use of the term “trap house” as well as a reference to “Popeye’s chicken.”

[RELATED: Yale Law dean at center of anti-conservative controversy retires]

Leaked audio obtained by the Washington Free Beacon appears to show a meeting with Colbert and former Yale Law School associate dean Ellen Cosgrove and diversity director Yaseen Eldik, where the student is told that his affiliation with the Federalist Society was “very triggering” for some students who “already feel” the organization is  “oppressive to certain communities.”

Colbert previously told Campus Reform that the incident represents “a broader issue than free speech” at the New Haven, Connecticut university, adding that it involved “administrators engaging in ideological discrimination and encouraging students to create that pressure at the school.”

[RELATED: ‘VIDEO: Professor tells Yale Law students to ‘grow up’ as they disrupt free speech event’]

After the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel, Gerken allegedly told her secretary,  Debra Kroszner, to tell a Jewish student who was being targeted on a listserv to seek counseling.

Speaking of Gerken, one student anonymously told the Free Beacon that “She would be the worst choice out of all the current faculty.”

”Her handling of campus politics has been abysmal,” the student added.

Campus Reform reached out to Yale for comment.