Prof. Richard Painter Quoted in USA Today About New Antisemitism Legislation

In early May, the House of Representatives passed legislation which would expand the definition of antisemitism that the Department of Education uses when it investigates discrimination against Jews on college campuses. In a fact check by USA Today, Prof. Richard Painter was quoted about the Antisemitism Awareness Act and some of its misunderstandings. Prof. Painter said the legislation “doesn't outlaw the New Testament at all,” nor would it ban the religious text from federally funded institutions. “You're not banning something, you're conditioning federal funds on something, that's different than banning it.” While certain passages of the New Testament could potentially be interpreted in ways that fit the bill's definition of antisemitism, “that doesn’t mean the New Testament itself would meet the definition of antisemitism.”