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Summary: A lack of ideological diversity among legal academics and professionals has left a gap in fair representation in all areas of legal proceedings.
A Northwestern University law professor conducted a study on who the law schools professors are that are teaching the future generations of lawyers and judges. The study revealed that the majority of those professors are Democrats.
Some fear this trend of one group being the educators will hinder academic freedom, shortchanges students, influences judicial rulings and scholarly work, and is antithetical to the idea of diversity.
There is a lack of Republicans of both genders but there is especially a lack of women that tend towards the right and Christian values. This is a trend that has been growing for the past twenty years. In 1997, law professor James Lindgren first noted that there was a shortage of women and minorities in positions as law professors, especially those that were Republicans.
Lindgren found that 82 percent of law professors are Democrats, both male and female. He adds “affirmative action has succeeded to thoroughly that, compared to lawyers, the largest underrepresented groups in law schools today are white Christians, Christians, white Republicans, and Republicans.”
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Another study done by two University of Chicago law professors found that the majority of scholars at elite law schools contribute to political campaigns for Democrats. Attorney and adjunct law professor, John Browning, looked into this finding even deeper. He found that 10 of the 12 scholars he studies made donations to President Obama’s campaigns in 2008 and 2012.
There is even evidence of current Conservative law professors having to cater their views to more liberal ideals in order to gain acceptance and better their chances of earning tenure. There have even been a few lawsuits from professors against universities.
Teresa Wagner is the former legal writing instructor at the University of Iowa Law School. She sued the school after they passed her over to hire a candidate with lesser qualifications. She is outspoken about her conservatism and is a member of the Christian Family Research Council and National Right to Life Committee. A professor that opposed her being hired was Randall Bezanson, who helped draft the Roe v. wade decision that legalized abortion.
Clearly there was some bias involved in the decision. With a lack of diversity in ideologies, it is hard to believe there is an equal representation in court proceedings and education. As Browning concluded, “I find it ironic that the very group, academics and law professors, who have spoken so often in favor of diversity have found that they care more about diversifying skin colors and genders than diversifying their points of view.”
Source: http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/24015/
Photo: collegescholarships.org
