In comments filed with the ABA on June 28, SALT joined an illustrious group of law-school deans in supporting proposed revisions to the ABA’s standard 206, regarding diversity in law schools. The revisions make Standard 206 “a ‘core’ standard requiring public notice for noncompliance,” according to the ABA. The comments are available here: SALT Comment on ABA Standard 206 (28 June 2021).
The revised standard provides (omitted language struck through, new additions in italics):
Standard 206: Diversity, and Inclusion, and Equity
(a) Consistent with sound legal education policy and the Standards, a law school shall demonstrate by concrete action a commitment to diversity and inclusion by providing full opportunities for the study of law and entry into the profession by members of underrepresented groups, particularly racial and ethnic minorities, and a commitment to having a student body that is diverse with respect to gender, race, and ethnicity.
(a) A law school shall provide:
(1) Full opportunities for the study of law and entry into the profession by members of
underrepresented groups, particularly those related to race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, and military status; and
(2) An environment that is inclusive and equitable with respect to race, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, and military status.
(b) Consistent with sound educational policy and the Standards, a law school shall demonstrate by concrete action a commitment to diversity and inclusion by having a faculty and staff that are diverse with respect to gender, race, and ethnicity.
(b) A law school shall take effective actions that, in their totality, demonstrate progress in
(1) Diversifying the student body, faculty, and staff; and
(2) Creating an inclusive and equitable environment for students, faculty, and staff.
The ABA’s interpretive guidance on the standard can be found here.
The following law-school deans signed the letter:
- Michèle Alexandre, Dean and Professor of Law, Counsel to the President for Strategic Initiatives and Operations (starting July 1, 2021), Stetson University College of Law
- Patricia Bennett, Dean & Henry Vaughan Watkins and Selby Watkins McRae Professor of Law, Mississippi College School of Law
- Marcilynn A. Burke, Dean and Dave Frohnmayer Chair in Leadership and Law, University of Oregon School of Law
- Danielle M. Conway, Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law, Penn State Dickinson Law
- Rose Cuison-Villazor, Interim Dean Designate (July 1, 2021), Rutgers Law School-Newark
- Zelda B. Harris, Interim Dean Designate (July 1, 2021), Loyola University Chicago School of Law
- Cassandra L. Hill, Dean and Professor of Law, Northern Illinois University College of Law
- Danielle Holley-Walker, Dean and Professor of Law, Howard University School of Law
- Renée McDonald Hutchins, Dean & Rauh Chair of Public Interest Law, UDC Law
- Lolita Buckner Inniss, Dean and Provost’s Professor of Law, University of Colorado School of Law
- Kimberly Mutcherson, Dean and Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
- Eboni S. Nelson, Dean and Professor of Law, University of Connecticut School of Law
- Camille A. Nelson, Dean and Professor of Law, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law
- Angela Onwuachi-Willig, Dean and Ryan Roth Gallo & Ernest J. Gallo Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law
- Sean Scott, President and Dean, California Western School of Law
- Sudha Setty, Dean and Professor of Law, Western New England University School of Law
- Elizabeth Kronk Warner, Jefferson and Rita Jefferson Presidential Dean and Professor of Law, S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah
- Verna L. Williams, Dean and Nippert Professor of Law, University of Cincinnati College of Law