A report from the Manhattan Institute revealed that New York Bar Associations are urging law schools to “ignore” the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action.
The American Bar Association (ABA), the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), and the New York City Bar Association (NYCBA) are advising schools to “continue granting admissions preferences to black and Hispanic applicants using methods that are race-neutral in theory but race-conscious in practice,” the report said.
These “methods” include applicants “writing about their race or ethnicity in application essays and eliminating standardized testing requirements.”
According to the bar associations, the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action is a policy within university admissions, not employment.
Two of the associations, ABA and NYCBA, include race-based scholarships.
The bar associations also encourage “broader institutional diversity” by ending “early-decision-based admissions.” NYSBA also encourages law schools to consider removing the LSAT standardized testing.
Despite considering affirmative-action measures, each of the bar associations supports “pipeline programs as a way to foster diversity in the legal profession and to help marginalized students get on a path to greater success,” the report added.
Pipeline programs are “initiatives that provide low- and middle-income high school and college students, regardless of racial or ethnic background, with free academic tutoring, standardized test preparation, mentoring, and other resources to help them enter the legal profession.”
The report noted that these programs are “race-neutral and merit-based.”
American Faith reported that a Gallup poll found that 52% of black Americans support the U.S. Supreme Court’s ban on affirmative action.
In total, 68% of all U.S. adults support ending race-based college admissions decisions.
