17 Comments
Mar 21, 2022Liked by David Lat

I appreciate your publishing this letter, and I appreciate your choice of tone. You're certainly more likely to influence the illustrious dean by commiserating with her than by denouncing her, even when criticism is due. With that said, I expect your statement to fall on deaf ears.

Those names again - Cosgrove and Eldik? Still at YLS, to all appearances in the same capacities? Back in November, Dean Gerken's statement about traphousegate and fedsocgate said that she would not discuss "personnel matters...in a community-wide email." Many looked at that and said "aha, she may yet remove those responsible." But four months later, inaction speaks louder than those words ever did.

I know I also said so back then, but I think it's worth reiterating here. I think the evidence suggests Gerken's complicit in all of this misconduct. Cosgrove and Eldik's actions are hers by proxy; they serve little more function than a layer of plausible deniability.

And I would suspect that if C&E were "on the scene" of the most recent debacle, it was to reassure and support the hecklers, not redress them. Prove me wrong? I haven't reviewed the audio or video in detail. I hope that I'm wrong... but I'm growing less hopeful. Either way, I pray your words will have some impact.

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This is good as a model open letter. It actually reads more as a letter to persuade the addressee than to proclaim something to the rest of us listening in.

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Mar 21, 2022Liked by David Lat

David,

Bravo.

Peter Kalis

Editor in Chief

Volume 87, Yale Law Journal

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Well said.

Though I am not a Yale Law grad (I suspect that Yale would have put up walls and a moat if it has been rumoured that I was interested!), I think that the problem which prompted your correspondence is one that has affected undergraduate and law school campuses across the country.

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Mar 21, 2022Liked by David Lat

Too bad we can't bring back Dean Guido Calabresi. And perhaps I was naive, but the students seemed to be grown up and civil then, compared to how folks seem to be now. Janet Hamilton YLS 1986

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Mar 21, 2022Liked by David Lat

> This is why I’m much happier as a one-man band here at Original Jurisdiction, instead of running Above the Law; I don’t enjoy managing

preeach brother

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I also like to see the word "inapposite" used. I'll have to look for an apposite occasion to use it.

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Mar 21, 2022Liked by David Lat

Good points, but….To me, this is very patronizing and includes LOT of mansplaining (“ we all want to be liked”… really??); would you have written this to a MALE Dean?????? Somehow I highly doubt the style and tone would have been the same.

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