As both disappointed liberals and rightwing anti-DEI activists pile on former Harvard President Claudine Gay, who resigned under pressure this week after numerous examples of her alleged “academic misconduct” — i.e. alleged plagiarism — were brought to light, a new spotlight has been cast on copying — and the fact that it is an equal opportunity transgression employed by Democrats and Republicans alike.
In one case now making the rounds online, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch‘s published work has been shown to closely resemble text appearing in a law journal that predates Gorsuch’s publication, as former New Yorker writer James Surowiecki points out below.
I assume Christopher Rufo will now move on and insist that Neal Gorsuch step down from the Supreme Court, given that he plagiarized parts of his 2006 book "The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia." (Screenshot from this Politico article: https://t.co/o0BcXmLD6d) pic.twitter.com/qZRsYZ8VhL
— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) January 3, 2024
Surowiecki comments sarcastically that he assumes Christopher Rufo — the conservative activist who surfaced and promoted Gay’s questionable texts after her disastrous testimony before Congress — “will now move on and insist that Neal [sic] Gorsuch step down from the Supreme Court, given that he plagiarized parts of his 2006 book ‘The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia.'”
Even in less academic circles, the plagiarism accusations against Gay have sparked a re-examination of poached words and phrases, such as the text of Melania Trump‘s speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention, in which the then-future First Lady’s sentiments echoed those of her predecessor, Michelle Obama, in 2008.
As a result of the Gay/Harvard fiasco, a video comparing the two First Lady performances is being widely shared again, as it was years ago when the textual similarities were first noted.
Let's delve into the high-profile cases of plagiarism:
— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) January 3, 2024
Melania Trump's replication of Michelle Obama's speech at the 2016 RNC and Justice Neil Gorsuch's alleged copying of a law review article in his 2006 book.
It's time to apply the same scrutiny and standards that Claudine… pic.twitter.com/jmm4oykFPJ
Accusations of plagiarism are an age-old problem — for academics, politicans and content makers of all sorts. Shakespeare borrowed the plots for his plays from previous works. A Google search for ‘Trump plagiarism’ returns a story that in 2017 the Trump White House copied parts of an ExxonMobil press release for its own official statement praising the oil giant and other examples of borrowed text. A search for ‘Biden plagiarism’ delivers stories about the current president’s alleged lifting of words and phrases in political and, much earlier, academic settings.
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