The State Bar Board of Governors has endorsed a letter asking U.S. News & World Report to add a diversity category to its rankings of U.S. law schools.

“The rankings encourage law school policies and actions that . . . result in less diverse student populations and provide no support for other diversity initiatives,” said the draft letter approved by the board. The letter was from Council on Access & Fairness Chair Craig Holden to U.S. News Editor Robert Morse. “We acknowledge that the U.S. News rankings are unlikely to cease or to diminish in impact so we are determined to work closely with you to effect changes that provide an objective system of metrics and evaluation, which will more accurately reflect a meaningful and effective law school education.”

State Bar board members, except for Michael Tenenbaum and Clark Gehlbach, who voted against the proposal, and Jeannine English, who abstained, agreed to endorse the letter, and some spoke passionately about the harmful effects on the legal profession of ignoring diversity in law school recruitment.

Read the full article, “Include diversity in law school ratings, bar board says.”