Just How Exactly Did Obama Get to Head The Harvard Law Review?

Vox reports:

Twenty-five years ago today, the New York Times ran its first profile of Barack Obama.

On February 6, 1990, it announced (in a headline that's now pretty dated), "First Black Elected to Head Harvard's Law Review," and explained that the 28-year-old's new role was considered the "highest student position" at the school...

There's a hint in the piece that the news was fraught with tension over whether Obama truly deserved his new role.

The Times quotes former law review president Peter Yu, who says Obama's election ''was a choice on the merits, but others may read something into it.''