Law Commons^™

Testing, Diversity, And Merit: A Reply To Dan Subotnik And Others, Andrea A. Curcio, Carol L. Chomsky, Eileen Kaufman

Andrea A. Curcio

The false dichotomy between achieving diversity and rewarding merit frequently surfaces in discussions about decisions on university and law school admissions, scholarships, law licenses, jobs, and promotions. “Merit” judgments are often based on the results of standardized tests meant to predict who has the best chance to succeed if given the opportunity to do so. This Article criticizes over-reliance on standardized tests and responds to suggestions that challenging the use of such tests reflects a race-comes-first approach that chooses diversity over merit. Discussing the firefighter exam the led to the Supreme Court decision in Ricci v. DiStefano, as well as …

Replay That Tune: Defending Bakke On Stare Decisis Grounds, Charles Adside Iii

Charles adside III

No abstract provided.

Fisher V. Texas: The Limits Of Exhaustion And The Future Of Race-Conscious University Admissions, John Powell, Stephen Menendian

john a. powell

This Article investigates the potential ramifications of Fisher v. Texas and the future of race-conscious university admissions. Although one cannot predict the ultimate significance of the Fisher decision, its brief and pregnant statements of law portends an increasingly perilous course for traditional affirmative action programs. Part I explores the opinions filed in Fisher, with a particular emphasis on Justice Kennedy’s opinion on behalf of the Court. We focus on the ways in which the Fisher decision departs from precedent, proscribes new limits on the use of race in university admissions, and tightens requirements for narrow tailoring. Part II investigates the …

Testing, Diversity, And Merit: A Reply To Dan Subotnik And Others, Andrea A. Curcio, Carol L. Chomsky, Eileen Kaufman

Andrea A. Curcio

The false dichotomy between achieving diversity and rewarding merit frequently surfaces in discussions about decisions on university and law school admissions, scholarships, law licenses, jobs, and promotions. “Merit” judgments are often based on the results of standardized tests meant to predict who has the best chance to succeed if given the opportunity to do so. This Article criticizes over-reliance on standardized tests and responds to suggestions that challenging the use of such tests reflects a race-comes-first approach that chooses diversity over merit. Discussing the firefighter exam the led to the Supreme Court decision in Ricci v. DiStefano, as well …

Taking The Bar Early: Making Law Students ‘Practice Ready’, Jason Forcier

Jason Forcier

The beginning of 2013 brings with it a number of rule changes by the Supreme Court of Arizona. Notable is the change to Rule 34, Application for Admission. The rule change is the result of an initiative from the deans of each of the three law schools: Phoenix School of Law, University of Arizona, and Arizona State University. The experimental change, set to expire at the end of 2015, allows law students to take the February bar exam during their final semester, so long as students meet certain qualifications and are within 120 days of graduation. This change effectively allows …

Making “Practice Ready” Practice Ready: Arizona’S Attempt To Streamline The Final Process For Admission To The Bar, Jason Forcier

Jason Forcier

Beginning with the first of the year, 2013 brings with it a number of rule changes from the Supreme Court of Arizona. Most notably is the change to Rule 34, Application for Admission. The rule change is the result of an initiative from each of the deans of Arizona’s three law schools: Phoenix School of Law, University of Arizona, and Arizona State University. The new change will provide many beneficial results: it will allow students to start transitioning from the theory of law to the practice of law; lead to a fundamental change in the structure of the current legal …

Affirmative Action In Education Weighed Again, Alan E. Garfield

Alan E Garfield

No abstract provided.

The Haunting Of Abigail Fisher: Race, Affirmative Action, And The Ghosts Of Legal History, Hilary A. Leewong

Hilary A Leewong

What is race in 2012, and why does it matter?

At the end of the current term, the Supreme Court will decide Fisher v. University of Texas. In doing so, the Court revisits the role of affirmative action and the meaning of race much sooner than constitutional law scholars, and likely the average college applicant, expected it would.

The Court’s last definitive take on the subject was conveyed by Justice O’Connor in 2003’s Grutter v. Bollinger. Justice O’Connor’s opinion conveyed disappointment that race-based admissions in higher education was still necessary this long after Brown v. Board of Education, heralded the …

On Time: An Empirical Analysis Of U.S. Law School Admissions Deadlines, Clifford Chad Henson, Paul R. Dorasil

Clifford Chad Henson

Setting an application deadline is an important decision for a law school admissions committee because the deadline partly determines the quantity and quality of applications that a law school receives. As such, information that would help an admissions committee set its deadline appropriately and strategically is valuable. The intention of this essay is to provide such information. To do so, we treat law school admissions as a market and set up an econometric model, which provides information on how various types of schools set their deadlines. From this, we interpret a number of strategies in which law schools seem to …

Reflections On Diversity, William M. Tabb

William M. Tabb

No abstract provided.