A group of 13 conservative US federal judges said on Monday (May 6) that they would not hire law students or undergraduates from Columbia University in response to its handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

The judges, all appointees of former US President Donald Trump, called the Manhattan campus an "incubator of bigotry" in a Monday letter to Columbia President Minouche Shafik and Law Dean Gillian Lester.

"Both professors and administrators are on the front lines of the campus disruptions, encouraging the virulent spread of antisemitism and bigotry," the letter said.

Spokespeople for Columbia University and Columbia Law School did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Columbia on Monday cancelled its main graduation ceremony due to the ongoing protests.

Federal judges hire law grads annually for year-long clerkships that can lead to prestigious and high-paying legal jobs. The boycott will apply to students who enter Columbia this fall, the judges wrote.

The letter called for "serious consequences" for students and faculty who participated in campus disruptions and for the enforcement of free speech rules.

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