Law School Admissions
Title
The Misuse of the LSAT: Discrimination Against Blacks and Other Minorities in Law School Admissions
Document Type
Law Review Article
Publication Date
2006
Keywords
admission criteria, incoming indicators, law school diversity, standardized test scores, LSAT
Abstract
The use of the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT) as the sole or determining factor in admission, and specifically, the use of an LSAT cut-off score below which few, if any, candidates are admitted is a form of institutuional racism.This misuse of the LSAT is devastating to all minorities, but is particularly devastating for Blacks and Latinos. Over the last ten years, the enrollment of Blacks and Mexican Americans in law schools has decreased. This decrease has come about despite an increase in the number of applications, a rise in average UGPA of these applicants, and an increase in their average LSAT score. This article explores how misuse of the LSAT in the admission process has led to institutional and systematic racism in law schools and the legal profession.
