Blacks and Law School Discrimination

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The fact that Black law students are admitted with lower LSAT scores than many other students is a testament of the damage from unequal, underfunded educational institutions Black students attend before matriculating into law schools across this nation.
The Biblical verses I paraphrase states that the "sins of the fathers shall be on the children for many generations." The inclusion of Black students into law schools is long overdue, particularly if the historical Black colleges and universities underfunded.
I have seen the type of questions on the LSAT, and I can not see how the test could be the barometer of whether a student gains entry into the ABA accredited law schools of this nation. Those test have no relevance to being a good law student or being a good lawyer. I truly believe that the test is used to screen and legally keep Black students from entering the law profession in larger numbers. Any aptitute test based on tricking the student into failure is somewhat a diabolical scheme to prevent certain students from gaining entry.
Raicsm has been institutionalized in this nation for many years after chattel slavery, yet the damage done to Black people who have lived under tyranny and oppression is never brought up as an issue why Black students test scores are low.
Most of the Caucasians students that score high on the LSAT come from home environments where the median household income was over $200,000. The median income for Black people across this nation about $6,000. So I would add that if one took poverty stricken Caucasian students say for instance, the Appalachian Mountain region and compare their scores to the higher incomed Caucasian students I am sure the scores of the impoverished Caucasian students would be much lower. Also, their are many Caucasian students who get into law schools with subpar LSAT scores, but the writer of this article only points to the low scoring Black students as somehow being the only ones undeserving of being in law school.

Abdallah Umar Muhammad of PA 8:47AM April 15, 2012

I have taken the LSAT 4 times and my highest score remains 138. I started at 129, moved up to 133, then 138 and went down to 130. I thank God that I was even able to go up to 138. Many of my colleague's scores actually went down. Can someople please tell my where to apply with a score this low?

J1986 of FL 1:05PM January 10, 2011

I've long opposed racial preferences not because of the harm they do to those who are discriminated against (a nonblack student who loses a place at Harvard to a lower-scoring black will get admitted to a slightly less selective school and will probably do just fine)
Disgusting. Remind me again why "probably doing just fine" justifies categorical discrimination based on nothing other than skin color. Everyone in the legal field knows the importance of one's alma mater, and being denied admission while others unfairly gain entrance (and disproportionate scholarship money) is WRONG

Chad of TX 5:35PM April 11, 2010

This article just reinforces the "pathology of the black student"--that given the chance you run into a black student on any non-HBUC campus, he or she is undoubtedly unqualified to be at that institution. What a shame! Across this nation, thousands of black students are in classes with white counterparts who actually scored lower than them on some (your pick) admissions test. And yet, everyone comfortably assumes that the truth is the other way around. At your most selective law schools, you have highly impressive applicants--of all races. At your less selective law schools, you have less-impressive applicants--of all races. That's really all that is going on when you consider LSAT scores. The support and education a student receives in law school is the most honest (and thus hardest to measure) predictor of a student's future success.

Jason of MD 1:18PM December 05, 2009

GOnuxY

Fliujeuz of NV 12:59AM July 14, 2009

LSAT score does not reveal much about the student. As a minority I worked so hard for the family and never had good time to study leading to poor LSAT score. As an immigrant from Africa I could'nt land a job that I trained for.I ended up working as a CNA. The job exhausted me so much that there was no way I could do well in LSAT.However,I had to take vacation to pass the test with a respectable score.
Failure by minority students to do well in LSAT is an indicator of hardship the students come from. If anything the test score actually reveals who was coached and who was not.It doesn't tell much about who'll do well and who'll not in law school.
The talk that the minorities are ne'er do wells doesn't add up until many factors that undermine and subjugate them are considered. Many of us are products of poverty and deprivation. We have few role models and lack encouragement.If all these and many other factors are reversed we shall have good scores.

J.K. LELEITTO SANG of MN 10:39PM July 03, 2009

Well, I got the LSAT Prep books & I took the classes and still didnt get a good score. Actually I did worse than what I did before. When I first took the test without any preparation, I did better. It seems like when I actually started to prepare for the LSAT, my scores got lower. I do not know what that is all about. I graduated from undergrad 3 yrs ago & I keep tryng to pass this test, but no luck. The LSAT is somewhat pointless to me. It doesn't prove how good I can be in law school or if I will be a good lawyer for that fact. I didnt do good on the ACT but I graduated Cum laude from college. So, I just don't understand. I have even had a Supreme Court Justice tell me he doesnt understand why we are required to take the lSAT b/c he knows some good lawyers that did bad on the test & he knows some bad lawyers that did good on the test. I just have to keep trying. It's just really frustrating. I'm glad I am not the only one that is going through this b/c for a long time I thought I was the only one.

LaShell of MO 1:48PM June 29, 2009

-Some people believe that granting admissions a non-traditional minority student with low test scores over a traditional non-minority student with high test scores is harmful to minority students because they tend to drop out, flunk out, or, even if they graduate, pass the bar examination at a lower rate than students with higher standardized test scores.
-However, non-traditional minority students come from complex backgrounds and not given the same quality of education as their higher scoring peers, that tend to come from affluent backgrounds.
-Furthermore, minority students will lose regardless as highly selective scores place a greater emphasis on high test scores than less selective and lower ranked institutions. Consequently, these highly selective schools like Harvard, Stanford, and Yale fail to account for the myriad educational inequalities predominantly within urban elementary and high schools. For this reason, some minority students remain in a lose-lose situation.
Standardized tests, and other artificial barriers in our society like racism, are social constraints designed to oppress African Americans and maintain white supremacy.

Mauriell A. of IL 6:17PM May 30, 2009

If the NBA was unable to look beyond test scores, would we have ever seen a Larry Bird or a Kevin McHale? Let's face it, as far as athletic exams, these two would have flunked. After all, their vertical leaps, bench press, 40 times, etc would not have measured up to those of a all-star Dominique Wilkins (zero titles) or Charles Barkley.
My point is this: some people can just play...there's no rhyme or reason to their performance, and tests don't predict their potential...they can just play.
I can hear the pundits, now: "But, dude...were talking athletic exams (NBA physical) v. aptitude exams (LSAT, GMAT, GRE, SAT, et. al.); they are different."
I gotcha covered.
How many top NFL QB's have flunked or all but flunked the NFL's "aptitude" exam? Would we have seen a Manning, a Rothlesburger or a Marino if the NFL gave as much weight to their scores as schools give to the LSAT?
Much to our good graces, the NFL doesn't do so. Because the scouts, coaches, GM's, Presidents, and owners understand that some people can just play. And no "standardized" exam is going to predict their performance in the field with any accuracy.
It works the same for lawyers. The people with the best test scores or grades do not always make the best lawyers.
It's like Motzart, Bach or Beethoven...they could just play.
Willie E. Gary is one of the top attorneys in the country. His LSAT is allegedly 450( a 145 in todays scoring - the formula is add a "1" to the front of the score and drop the "0" off of the back).
Think about it.

Ivan of WA 2:52AM February 22, 2009

Nice try...someone writing a clearly incoherent, self-righteous, excuse-laden post, pretending to be an uneducated "Blackman" (sic) who wants to go to law school. I do not buy it.
"The FBI problem with me is because" (sic) I am a dumb, racist white guy who wishes only to perpetuate the negative stereotypes associated with Black males...this is what you should have written.
And, BTW, I am, myself, a Black male! Go somewhere else with your phony, racist banter.

Ivan of WA 2:37AM February 22, 2009