The U.S. Department of Justice has urged a federal court to approve extensive reforms to the process for evaluating whether people who want to take the Law School Admission Test are disabled and require accommodations to make the test fairer.

The department and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing on Monday filed court papers in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California defending a five-member panel's recommendations for making it easier for disabled people receive accommodations including extra time, breaks between test sections or specialized computer software.

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC), which administers the test, in March objected to the proposals, claiming the panel exceeded its authority and seemed more bent on ensuring test takers received accommodations than making sure their requests are evaluated fairly. The proposed procedures would undermine the exam's integrity, the council argued.