Loren AliKhan Federal

Loren AliKhan, a U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia, was presiding over a lawsuit accusing George Washington University of "pervasive and severe antisemitic harassment" when GW Law School announced on February 25, 2026, that it had hired her to teach a course on "ethics and discretionary judgment." AliKhan did not immediately act on the conflict. Weeks later, on March 30, she issued a 10-day stay in the case to "assess whether she has a conflict that warrants her disqualification, disclosure to the parties, or other appropriate action."

At an April 20 conference, AliKhan said she hadn't realized her paid GW employment "could create the appearance of a lack of impartiality" until she began examining the merits of GW's pending motion to dismiss — an explanation legal experts said reflected "shocking ignorance" of basic judicial ethics, given she had not voluntarily withdrawn as soon as the employment was announced. AliKhan initially maintained there was no conflict before ultimately recusing herself from the case in late April.