A CUNY law student filed a public records request seeking details on university investment holdings and contracts with certain vendors amid pro-Palestinian divestment efforts. CUNY denied the request, citing a trade secrets exemption. The student sued, and the New York Supreme Court ordered CUNY to release reports on holdings, investment policies, and contracts with 30 major companies, including Boeing and Dell. The ACLU of New York represented the student in the lawsuit. A NYCLU staff attorney said public universities must uphold transparency and treat students and faculty equally regardless of viewpoint.
"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."
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.
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