Legal Education,
Ethics/Professional Responsibility,
Constitutional Law
Sep. 2, 2025
What to do with a racist law student?
Preston Damsky's capstone paper arguing for a white ethno-state earned the highest grade from Judge John L. Badalamenti, sparking immediate outrage that was later amplified by revelations of his extremist social media posts.
Myron Moskovitz
Legal Director
Moskovitz Appellate Team
90 Crocker Ave
Piedmont , CA 94611-3823
Phone: (510) 384-0354
Email: myronmoskovitz@gmail.com
UC Berkeley SOL Boalt Hal
Myron Moskovitz is author of Strategies On Appeal (CEB, 2021; digital: ceb.com; print: https://store.ceb.com/strategies-on-appeal-2) and Winning An Appeal (5th ed., Carolina Academic Press). He is Director of Moskovitz Appellate Team, a group of former appellate judges and appellate research attorneys who handle and consult on appeals and writs. See MoskovitzAppellateTeam.com. The Daily Journal designated Moskovitz Appellate Team as one of California's top boutique law firms. Myron can be contacted at myronmoskovitz@gmail.com or (510) 384-0354. Prior "Moskovitz On Appeal" columns can be found at http://moskovitzappellateteam.com/blog.
Preston Damsky, a law student at the University of Florida, took
a seminar on "Originalism" taught by John L. Badalamenti, a federal district
court judge appointed by President Trump.
Judge Badalamenti based his students' grades on a final
"capstone" paper. The New York Times (on its front page) summarized what
Damsky wrote:
In his capstone paper for the class...
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