The University of Virginia has asked former assistant U.S. attorney Mary McCord to lead an independent review of the events and decisions surrounding the pro-Palestinian protest and encampment that formed on Grounds in late April and was broken up by state police May 4.
McCord’s assignment will include developing a timeline of events and reviewing the University’s policy framework related to expressive activity and campus safety and security.
McCord is the executive director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, a constitutional litigation group within the Georgetown University Law Center that she co-founded after serving more than two decades in positions at the U.S. Department of Justice, including at the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia. She is also a visiting law professor at Georgetown Law.
As part of this review, McCord will examine how the gathering evolved, including the events leading up to a confrontation between University leaders and protesters who had pitched tents between the University Chapel and Rotunda. The review will be limited to the actions and decisions of those at UVA and will not cover the actions or decisions made by local or state police. McCord’s charge includes recommending improvements the University might make to policies and practices while accounting for the safety, legal rights and responsibilities of all involved. McCord will also review policies and procedures already in place, including those that were enacted at the beginning of the current academic year.
“May 4 was a difficult day for our community. I’m confident this process will help us better understand and record what happened, and ensure we are following best practices,” UVA President Jim Ryan said.
McCord previously served on the team charged with reviewing the actions taken by the Columbus, Ohio, Police Department in response to protests in the summer of 2020.
The assignment won’t be McCord’s first in Charlottesville. On behalf of the city, local businesses and residential associations, the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection successfully sued white supremacists and private militias that massed in Charlottesville during the “Unite the Right” rally in 2017. The Virginia Trial Lawyers Association presented McCord with the Oliver White Hill Courageous Advocate Award for her work on that case.
