SUNY Buffalo Law School Program Racial Preference For “Students of Color” Challenged By Equal Protection Project
EPP “will not allow discrimination on the basis of race or color to go unnoticed or unchallenged, particularly at major government institutions such as the SUNY system. We make no exceptions for law schools, which must abide by the same laws as apply to others.”
Perhaps this morning, or tomorrow morning at the latest, the U.S. Supreme Court will rule on the use of “race-conscious” admissions to Harvard and UNC. Both schools argue that race can be a consideration as part of a “holistic” view of a student.
Neither Harvard nor UNC were as brazen in their racial discrimination as is the State University at Buffalo School of Law, which has a program for future law students that explicitly says preference is given to “students of color.” While white students are not absolutely excluded, non-whites are given preference and white students need to show a plus factor, such as being “first generation” (to attend college or law school, not clear).
The Equal Protection Project (EqualProtect.org) has filed a Civil Rights Complaint (embedded at bottom of post) over the practice.
The NY Post has the story:
A self-described anti-racism group has filed a federal civil-rights complaint against the State University of New York’s Buffalo School of Law for running a summer program that gives preference to “students of color” over white students.
SUNY Buffalo Law’s Discover Law Undergraduate Scholars Program chooses 20 students who are interested in studying law to spend four weeks on-campus over the summer at no cost, while receiving a stipend.
“Preference is given to students of color and first-generation college students,” UBL Law says in promotional brochures.
In its June 27 complaint, the Equal Protection Project told the US Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights that the racial preference program “based on race and skin color” violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment as well as Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
“A law school above all should be familiar with the law, particularly such clear law as it prohibits discrimination on the basis of race or color. We can only assume that the law school understood that what it was doing violated the anti-discrimination laws, but chose to do it anyway in the service of ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ ideology,” said William A. Jacobson, founder of EqualProtect.org.
We expect a law school to lead the way in upholding the anti-discrimination laws, not subverting them. That it took place at the flagship law school of the SUNY system is extremely troubling, and may reflect a broader systemic SUNY problem where discrimination is tolerated or embraced so long as it comports with DEI ideology,” he said.
The conservative group recently filed another federal complaint for a face-based library internship program that had been sponsored by SUNY Albany.
In UBL’s brochure for the DLUSP, the law school states that the program “focus[es] on students of color,” in order “to diversify law school classes” with the ultimate goal of “mak[ing] the legal profession look more like America.”
If applicants are not “students of color,” they are automatically excluded from consideration unless they can demonstrate that they are first-generation college students, the complaint said….
Jacobson said EPP “will not allow discrimination on the basis of race or color to go unnoticed or unchallenged, particularly at major government institutions such as the SUNY system. We make no exceptions for law schools, which must abide by the same laws as apply to others.”
A spokeswoman at SUNY Buffalo Law said, “We do not comment on pending litigation.”
The Complaint was filed in cooperation with EPP Legal Network lawyer Stuart Rissoff, Esq., himself a graduate of SUNY Buffalo Law School.
I also appeared this morning on Fox and Friends to discuss the case.
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Comments
The idea is that blacks will stop underperforming if given extra teaching, which is a social good for everybody.
They’ve dropped the idea that it’s temporary, I think.
They cannot fix underlying genetics which drives an average IQ of 85 or culture which disrespects education, work ethics & rule of law.
Well done, Prof. Bill. What concerns me, however, is that EPP is engaging in Wackamole with the growing number of cases its filing with the Department of Education OCR. Unless EPP seeks financial penalties against the offending universities and their officials, there’s no incentive for them to voluntarily stop their unconstitutional practices. They must feel a monetary bite. SUNY Buffalo undoubedly receives federal funds. It must be required to reimburse the federal treasury for violating Title VI. And, the white students who lost the benefits of the summer law school program should be awarded damages for their injuries.
They cannot fix underlying genetics which drives an average IQ of 85 or culture which disrespects education, work ethics & rule of law.