Why This Judge Says Law Schools Should Reassess Their Admissions Process

Ninth Circuit Judge Johnnie Rawlinson questioned whether the LSAT makes law school less accessible to diverse applicants.

October 31, 2022 at 10:33 AM

6 minute read

Legal Education

Avalon Zoppo

What You Need to Know

Judge Rawlinson said schools should ask if the LSAT should be given less weight in the admissions process.
Her comments come as the ABA considers a proposal that would give law schools the choice of whether to require LSAT scores in admissions.
Proponents of the change say the LSAT can exclude diverse applicants from law schools.

One of the best clerks Judge Johnnie Rawlinson said she hired during her more than two decades on the bench had served in the U.S. Marine Corps, fought in Afghanistan, and after graduating law school, applied to work in Rawlinson's chambers with glowing recommendations. But he came from a college Rawlinson said she never heard of.