Yale L.J. Refuses to Revoke Acceptance of Article Despite Racist Statements Made by Author While a Student at Harvard

The Yale Law Journal thus far has refused to revoke an offer to publish a symposium article (Control Mechanisms for Quasipublic Executives:  The Intersection of Corporate and Constitutional Law) by Kiwi Alejandro Danao Camara (with Paul Gowder).  Camara is the youngest person to ever graduate from Harvard Law School (in 2004) and is now an Olin Fellow in Law & Economics at Stanford.

Yale is considering revoking the publication offer because of a property outline Camara posted in an on-line outline bank while at Harvard.  The outline warned that it might "contain racially offensive shorthand."  blackprof.com notes:

Here is what he said when referring to Shelley v. Kraemer (a seminal Property case on racially restrictive covenants):

"Nigs buy land with no nig covenant; Q: Enforceable?"

When asked to explain his comment Mr. Camara remarked that it was a "mistake and a miscalculation." Asked if he would use such racial slurs in the future, he commented: "I will make a much more conscious attempt than I have made not to do so. I can't guarantee it."

The outline caused quite a controversy at Harvard, memorialized in this book, reported in the Harvard Law Record (here, here, here, here, and here), and picked up by avarious media outlets (e.g., here).

For further discussion of the Yale L.J. flap, see:

• The YLJ Debate
• Death in the Afternoon
• Letters of Marque
• PrawfsBlawg
• Shangri Law I
• Shangri Law II
• Shangri Law III
• Volokh Conspiracy I
• Volokh Conspiracy II

(Hat Tip: Howard Bashman.)