Law students support free speech but want LSAT and bar exams gone, new survey says
The vast majority of law students support free speech, and more than half say the LSAT and bar exams must go, according to a new survey released by the Buckley Institute at Yale University. (Image from Shutterstock)
The vast majority of law students support free speech, and more than half say the LSAT and bar exams must go, according to a new survey released by the Buckley Institute at Yale University.
The poll was conducted by Inquire, a research and data consulting company, which surveyed 232 law students across dozens of ABA-accredited law schools from April 25 to May 25.
It found that 95% say the First Amendment is not outdated and has to be respected and followed. Half of the respondents reported that they were often intimidated by classmates, and 34% claimed that they were intimidated by professors with differing opinions. The majority of students—62%—think that the First Amendment should be interpreted to extend even to speech “considered offensive or hateful by some.”
“Though law students overall support free speech, there is a noticeable undercurrent of censorship that America’s law schools must address,” said Lauren Noble, founder and executive director of the Buckley Institute, in a June 20 press release.
More students thought that doing work that advances a more socially just and equitable legal system outweighed ensuring clients receive a favorable outcome, 69% to 28%.
In addition, the major tests impacting law school acceptance and bar admissions were considered unfair by the majority of respondents. Of the students surveyed, 54% agreed that the LSAT should be disregarded, and 57% agreed that the bar exam should be eliminated and replaced by other types of evaluation.
The majority—73%—think that politics were more responsible than law in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning the constitutional right to abortion.
Meanwhile, 50% of law students surveyed think that America should “recognize systemic racism in society and support members of disadvantaged groups even at the direct expense of members of advantaged groups,” while 42% think that the country should pursue a color-blind society.
