Anti-Semitic discrimination claims surface at Oregon law school

An educator’s writing was reportedly spiked for publication by the Oregon Law Review due to his ties to an Israeli institution.

The Review did not want to appear as if it was endorsing the state of Israel, according to one professor's testimony.

Claims of anti-Semitic discrimination within the walls of the University of Oregon School of Law are surfacing in real time. 

A recent testimony penned by Oregon Law Professor Ofer Raban details the story of an unnamed professor whose work was shelved by editors of the Oregon Law Review simply because the professor was a faculty member at an Israeli university. 

According to Raban’s May 12 testimony—published by Reason Magazine—one editor recommended an article written by the professor for publication in the review. However, it was rejected by a second editor who suggested that if the review published the article, it would send the message of an endorsement for the Jewish state regarding the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. 

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Yet, the article was reportedly unrelated to the conflict; it focused on environmental law, according to Raban. 

“When the original reviewer objected that this may amount to unlawful discrimination, the matter was taken to a high-ranking law school official,” Raban explained. “A meeting was held, and the official reportedly gave the green light to the discrimination.”

Not only did the official approve the action, but Raban also claims there are rumors that the law school administration itself greenlit the alleged discrimination. The testimony details that this action might constitute a violation of both state and federal anti-discrimination laws. 

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“The basis for rejecting the article appears to constitute, at a minimum, discrimination on the basis of national origin,” Raban asserted. 

Reportedly, the university’s Office of Investigations and Civil Rights Compliance has been investigating the situation, which unraveled in 2024, since February of this year. 

Campus Reform reached out to the office for updates to the investigation but has received comment as of publication. 

This is not the first time the University of Oregon has come under fire for recent discrimination-related cases. In March, the university was hit with a civil rights complaint for allegedly awarding DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) scholarships to students based upon race and sex rather than merit. 

Campus Reform has contacted Professor Raban. This article will be updated accordingly.