Interesting article in the New Jersey Law Journal, Black Students’ Ranks Drop at Law Schools; Critics Blame Influence of "U.S. News" Law School Rankings, by Mary P. Gallagher:

Minority enrollments are up at law schools across the country, but those figures mask a drop in the number of black law students. ABA statistics show steady growth in minority enrollment from 24,611 in the 1994-95 school year to 29,489 for 2004-05, a period when overall enrollment also grew, from 128,989 to 148,169. So while overall enrollment increased by 14.8%, minority enrollment went up by 19.8%, mainly because of a 40.6% increase in the number of Asian-American and Pacific Island law students. But at the same time, the number of black students fell by 2%, from 9,681 to 9,488.

Educators, admissions officers and bar officials nationwide say a major factor in the decline is heightened emphasis on LSAT scores by law schools eager to boost their ranking in the U.S. News & World Report survey. And a forthcoming law review article blames the American Bar Association for exerting similar pressure through its accreditation power….

Efforts to blame U.S. News are misplaced and irresponsible, says Robert Morse, the company’s director of data research. Critics are using U.S. News as a scapegoat for an array of societal factors that underlie the problem, in his view. Morse also points out that use of median rather than average LSAT scores is intended to make it harder to game the system, since median scores are less susceptible to manipulation.

For prior TaxProf Blog coverage, see:

• Chronicle of Higher Education, Law Schools’ Emphasis on LSAT Scores Hurts Black Applicants, Report Says
• Wall Street Journal, Fewer Blacks Enter Law School, Prompting Plan for Monitoring