I’m actually not sure these people inform social and legal policy. Most of them are mostly academic theorists — as Leiter (a philosopher) suggests this is what you call “bad philosophy.” Obviously Leiter is being…let’s say a bit snide, but I couldn’t speak to a direct impact Butler or Zizek has had on actual national policy. Instead, the policy influences these people have tend to be purely academic.
For example, Butler is the current President-Elect of the Modern Languages Association. Most people are familiar with MLA as in the MLA citation format used for essays and the like. (Personal note: I hate MLA format and don’t use it. I prefer Chicago and thus am more identifiable as a Historian than a literary theorist. This matters only in academia, probably no one else cares.)
But MLA is also a massive academic organization that a majority of humanities academics have to engage with. There are over 25,000 global members. Hiring processes often begin at MLA-associated conventions, meaning if you want an academic job, you need to be able to go there. I don’t want to say it would be totally impossible to get hired without a supportive advisor, but it’s damn near impossible, and that would be compounded by having to avoid your former advisor and their circle of influence while attending the MLA annual conference while trying to get hired. Jobs in Reitman’s field are usually found either through your advisor directly, or through an academic organization like MLA’s job postings. Most of these jobs require three letters of recommendation.
I haven’t researched every professor who signed onto that letter though, and it’s possibly they may have a more direct policy reach outside of academia. For the most part though, their influence is more on theory and academics — and the larger exchange between mainstream feminism and academic feminism. Otherwise — yes exactly, it’s about petty fealties. My own MA was a nightmare and it still wasn’t anywhere near as bad as this.
