Who is Laurence Tribe? Harvard law professor called out over spreading debunked Charlie Kirk assassination suspect rumor

The shooting of Charlie Kirk and its aftermath have seen a rise in misinformation on social media, and its recent victim is Laurence Tribe. 

The famed law professor reportedly shared a debunked Charlie Kirk assassination suspect rumor to attack MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters on X, before deleting his post amid the outrage. Tribe quoted a X post from Occupy Democrats about Tyler Robinson’s identity and wrote: 

“Kirk’s apparent assassin seems to have been ultra-MAGA, exploding the GOP/MAGA attempt to pin the blame for this tragedy on liberals.” 

For the unversed, Laurence Tribe is a retired Harvard Law School (HLS) professor, having served at the position between 1968 and 2020. Born to a Jewish immigrant couple in Shanghai in October 1941, the prominent legal scholar started attending Harvard College in 1958 at 16. He earned a BA in 1960, while majoring in Mathematics. After his graduation, Tribe pursued a JD from HLS, eventually completing his degree in ‘66. 

According to his profile on Harvard Law School’s website, Laurence Tribe has authored over 115 books and articles. At the same time, during his decades-long legal career, the former HLS professor has found success in nearly 60% of the appellate cases he has argued, including 35 in the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS). Laurence Tribe is also well-known for his longstanding association with the Democratic Party. 

In 2010, former U.S. President Barack Obama appointed him the first Senior Counselor for Access to Justice. During the 46th POTUS Joe Biden’s office, Tribe served on the Presidential Commission on the SCOTUS in 2021. Currently, he holds the position of Carl M. Loeb University Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus. 

Tribe also holds numerous honorary degrees from institutions like New York University, Gonzaga University, Columbia University, and the University of Miami, among others. However, the celebrated liberal personality received backlash on X after one of his recent posts. 

Laurence Tribe apologizes after internet users slam him for propagating a debunked rumor about Charlie Kirk’s murder suspect 

In a now-removed X post, the former Harvard Law professor quoted Occupy Democrats’ tweet that pointed out the Republican background of Tyler Robinson’s family. While the account didn’t call the Charlie Kirk murder suspect a Republican or MAGA, it speculated that he might have been a Groyper – a follower of Nick Fuentes. 

While Occupy Democrats’ claim is unverified, Laurence Tribe quoted the tweet and further branded Robinson as someone who seems to be “ultra-MAGA.” Although he deleted the post later, many had already expressed their criticism online. 

🥱 The most prominent legal academics aren't immune to being brainwashed pic.twitter.com/VAWl6l7XXl

— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) September 14, 2025

Jeremy Carl, a political commentator and the ex-Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior during the first tenure of Trump, wrote: 

“Nothing to see here— just a longtime Harvard Law prof— arguably the most prominent legal academic of his generation— spewing absolute lies about Kirk’s assassin from one of the most notorious fake news sites out there. Not the first time Tribe has published pure disinfo.” 

“The most prominent legal academics aren't immune to being brainwashed,” @DataRepublican replied while posting a screenshot of the deleted post. 

“At one time, he was a prominent academic. Now, he is something else,” @El__Bohemio added. 

“Why on earth would a professor not research information before posting?,” @mrsmcbe said. 

“Deleted but the internet remembers,” @Oreallynow1 pointed out. 

Re Kirk’s grotesque murder:
1. Nothing could possibly justify it.
2. Those calling the suspected assassin trans, liberal, or a radical leftist are exploiting a tragedy for political gain by making stuff up.
3. My reaction saying he was to Kirk’s right was premature, and I’m sorry…

— Laurence Tribe 🇺🇦 ⚖️ (@tribelaw) September 14, 2025

After receiving the online backlash, Laurence Tribe apologized for his quote in a X post, calling his reaction "premature," while also addressing other misinformation around the murder suspect. He wrote: 

"Re Kirk’s grotesque murder:
1. Nothing could possibly justify it.
2. Those calling the suspected assassin trans, liberal, or a radical leftist are exploiting a tragedy for political gain by making stuff up.
3. My reaction saying he was to Kirk’s right was premature, and I’m sorry I reposted a tweet to that effect before deleting my repost."

For those unaware, Tyler Robinson’s grandmother did acknowledge her family’s Republican background, but also asserted that her grandchild “never, ever spoke politics to her at all." Later, Utah Governor Spencer Cox claimed that Robinson seems to have a “leftist ideology,” while speaking during NBC’s Meet the Press. 

According to Fox News, the assassin suspect lived with his transgender partner, who was transitioning from male to female. However, nothing much about Robinson’s political ideology has been confirmed, while the motive remains unclear.