I wrote recently about the extremist views of the legal academy -- views that, as a whole, are more liberal than any other segment of the legal profession, including public defenders and civil rights lawyers.
One might think that, if liberalism in the original sense still survived, there would be some attempt to correct this imbalance. But one would need to think again. My Georgetown colleague, Prof. Nick Rosenkranz (one of a handful of conservatives on the faculty), notes on the Volokh Conspiracy:
John McGinnis has an excellent post over at Library of Law and Liberty (and cross-posted at our new Heterodox Academy), highlighting the rigid liberal orthodoxy of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). AALS has just sent around the notice of its 2016 annual meeting, highlighting its "Speakers of Note." As Prof. McGinnis points out: "Of the thirteen announced, none is associated predominantly with Republican party, but eleven are associated with the Democratic Party. Many are prominent liberals. None is a conservative or libertarian." McGinnis argues that the conference would profit from including some other perspectives.
As Nick shows, liberals talk a good game about diversity of views. They just never actually seem to do anything about it.
Leave a comment