Delaware Approves Lowering Bar Exam Threshold to Improve Racial Diversity

[Kamaji]

Delaware Supreme Court Approves Lowering Bar Exam Threshold to Improve Racial Diversity

By ARI BLAFF
March 2, 2023

The Delaware Supreme Court is introducing a wave of changes to the state’s bar exam, considered by many to be among the toughest in the entire United States, in a bid to make it more accessible for black and Latino test takers.

The court lowered the minimum grade required to pass the bar by two questions on Tuesday and will also feature half as many essay prompts and henceforth be held twice a year.

Chief Justice Collins J. Seitz Jr., one of the lawyers who spearheaded the change in an attempt to improve racial diversity in the legal profession, dismissed accusations that the measure would reduce the quality of Delaware lawyers.

Seitz Jr. “noted that this is not a lowering of the standards but a modernization of the process to better reflect how other states handle admission to the bar. The chief justice said these reforms will keep Delaware competitive in attracting top legal talent to the state and keep Delawareans interested in the law from going elsewhere,” a court spokesman told a local news outlet.

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Source:  https://www.nationalreview.com/news/delaware-supreme-court-approves-lowering-bar-exam-threshold-to-improve-racial-diversity/

[Kamaji]

The bar exam is precisely supposed to be a barrier based on merit; if you can't pass the state's bar exam, perhaps you don't have what it takes to practice law in that state.

Lowering it because it's unreasonable would be a different matter, but lowering it because the current bar membership doesn't reflect your politically favored mix of skin colors is (a) racist, and (b) stupid.  See South Africa for the consequences of favoring skin color over merit, writ large.

[Kamaji]

https://twitter.com/wil_da_beast630/status/1631364614339321891