San Francisco Examiner, S.F. Judge Okays UC Law School Name Change:

A San Francisco Superior Court judge ruled on Friday that the state can tentatively change the name of the UC Hastings College of the Law.

Judge Richard B. Ulmer issued an order on Friday that denied a preliminary injunction bid made by descendants of Serranus C. Hastings, the founder of the recently renamed UC College of the Law, San Francisco.

The suit made by the founder's descendants claims that AB 1936, the law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 23 which authorizes the school's name change, violates a contract the state entered with Hastings in 1878.

The contract stipulates that "the law college founded and established by S. C. Hastings shall forever be known and designated as the Hastings College of the Law."

Bloomberg Law, California Can Change Name of UC Hastings Law School, For Now:

A California trial judge tentatively allowed the state to change the name of UC Hastings College of the Law under legislation created in response to founder Serranus C. Hastings’ involvement in mass killings of Native Americans. …

At the hearing, counsel for the plaintiffs signaled an intent to appeal the tentative ruling if it is finalized, while Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, counsel to the college defendants, said the court’s tentative ruling denying the bid for preliminary injunction is “exactly right.”

Prior TaxProf Blog coverage:

• The Moral Case For Renaming UC-Hastings Law School Due To 'Indian Hunting' By Serranus Hastings In The 1850s (Jan. 11, 2017)
• Hastings Law School Balks At Name Change Despite Founder's Role in Genocide (Dec. 7, 2020)
• Hastings Law School To Keep Name Despite Founder's Role In Genocide, But Will Partner With Indian Tribe To Redress Past Injustices (July 6, 2021)
• NY Times: Should UC-Hastings Law School Change Its Name Due To Founder's Role In Native American Genocide? (Oct. 29, 2021)
• UC-Hastings To Seek Legislation To Change Its Name Due To Founder's Role In Native American Massacres (Nov. 4, 2021)
• NY Times: A New Name For California’s Oldest Law School: UC-San Francisco Or UC-Powen’om? (Mar. 22, 2022)
• UC-Hastings Law School To Change Its Name In July Due To Founder's Role In Native American Genocide (May 27, 2022)
• UC-Hastings Committee Unveils Proposal For New Name: 'College Of The Law, San Francisco' (July 28, 2022)
• Richmond And UC-Hastings Law Schools Remove Names With Racist Pasts (Sept. 26, 2022)
• State Of California Sued Over UC-Hastings Law School Name Change By Namesake's Descendants, Alumni (Oct. 5, 2022)
• Hastings Descendants Dispute Law School Name Is Racist. They Want The Name Kept — Or A $1.7 Billion Payout (Oct. 8, 2022)
• Renaming UC-Hastings Law School Sparks $1.7 Billion Legal Fight That Shows How Hard It Is To Ditch Donors’ Names (Nov. 15, 2022)