Chris Tillen
Staff Reporter
chris.tillen@yale.edu
Chris covers the Law School for the News. He is a sophomore in Morse College.
Author Archive
CHRIS TILLEN
Yale Law Clinic represents 27 former senior government officials in amicus brief against Trump

On April 8, 27 policy and intelligence professionals filed an amicus brief supporting Perkins Coie in suing the Trump administration. The brief is represented by Yale Law School’s Peter Gruber Rule of Law Clinic and Susman Godfrey.

April 11, 2025

CHRIS TILLEN
YLS Dean, faculty speak out on “Rule of Law” amid Trump attacks on law firms

On April 4, around 66 percent of Yale Law School’s active faculty signed a letter denouncing President Trump’s attacks on law firms and on international student speech. That same day, Yale Law School Dean Heather Gerken released a separate letter emphasizing the importance of the Rule of Law.

April 9, 2025

CHRIS TILLEN
Before Doutaghi was fired, her lawyer clashed with Yale Law School for weeks, emails reveal

In emails obtained by the News, Helyeh Doutaghi’s lawyer argued with Yale Law School over procedural details before she was fired for “refusal to cooperate” in their investigation.

April 8, 2025

CHRIS TILLEN
Michael Knowles ’12 preaches hard right stances at Yale College Republicans event

Knowles highlighted his support for mass deportations and rejected transgender identities in the first major speaker event hosted by Yale College Republicans.

April 2, 2025

CHRIS TILLEN
Yale Law School terminates scholar amid terrorist link allegations, cites “refusal to cooperate” 

Three weeks after first being put on administrative leave, Yale Law School is terminating Helyeh Doutaghi’s employment, citing her refusal to cooperate with the process. Allegations arose on March 2 that Doutaghi had connections to the Samidoun Network, a Canadian-designated terrorist organization.

March 28, 2025

CHRIS TILLEN
Yale Law School hosts 12th annual FOIA bootcamp

In an event hosted by the Law School’s Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic, panelists addressed concerns over transparency in the Trump administration.

March 6, 2025

CHRIS TILLEN
YLS places research scholar on “immediate administrative leave” over alleged ties to terrorist organization

Yale Law School placed Helyeh Doutaghi on administrative leave following reports of her alleged connection to the Samidoun Network, a pro-Palestinian group designated as a terrorist organization in the US and Canada.

March 6, 2025

NORA MOSES & CHRIS TILLEN
Trump threatens to jail or deport students, freeze funding for universities for “illegal protests”

In a message on Truth Social, the president asserted that all federal funding would stop for any University that allows “illegal” protests.

March 5, 2025

ARIELA LOPEZ & CHRIS TILLEN
SOM student sues Yale, alleges wrongful suspension over AI use

An anonymous student in the School of Management’s executive MBA program claims he was wrongfully accused of using artificial intelligence on a final exam and penalized unjustly.

February 24, 2025

BAALA SHAKYA & CHRIS TILLEN
Yale Law conference reaffirms commitment to campus free speech, academic freedom

The Law School’s Center for Academic Freedom and Free Speech hosted its inaugural conference on the 50th anniversary of the Woodward Report.

February 18, 2025

CHRIS TILLEN
Graduate and professional students tackle food insecurity

The Graduate and Professional Students Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly are prioritizing fighting food insecurity among Yale’s graduate students.

February 14, 2025