Several law schools based in Ohio have halted race-based scholarships and internship programs that were previously being offered across the state.
Five law schools across the state had recently been subject to investigative pressure from The Buckeye Institute, as reported by The Center Square.
Specifically, The Buckeye Institute found that law schools at Cleveland State University College of Law, Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University; University of Akron School of Law, University of Cincinnati College of Law, and University of Toledo College of Law offered race-based programs that they claimed violated federal law in four Ohio bar associations, three law firms and the five public law schools.
The Buckeye Institute said that as a result of the public records requests that found the race-based opportunities being offered at each institution, each of the law schools have since “[R]emoved illegal and unconstitutional race-based requirements for their scholarships and internship programs.”
“Federal law and the U.S. Constitution prohibit discrimination based on race,” said David C. Tryon, director of litigation at The Buckeye Institute. “Although the goals of these programs were laudable, it is a victory for the Constitution and the rule of law that all of the law schools ended these discriminatory programs or opened them to all applicants.”
The Buckeye Institute is also working to question similar race-based offerings at UW-Green Bay, UW-Parkside and UW-Whitewater.
In addition to race-based offerings being removed from some law schools based in Wisconsin, The Buckeye Institute is also in the process of questioning race-based programs at the University of Michigan.
Having sent a letter to The University of Michigan’s general counsel, The Buckeye Institute has criticized the university’s reluctance to release public records that could show race-based programs, scholarships, or other offerings.
[RELATED: LSU changes policy on DEI programs, citing Supreme Court ruling]
In The Buckeye Institute’s statement on the matter, they state that they have been attempting to obtain documents from The University of Michigan that show what processes accreditors at the university’s medical and law schools use.
Specifically, The Buckeye Institute is attempting to determine if “unconstitutional diversity requirements” are being followed within the university’s schools.
The Buckeye Institute’s work builds on mounting pressure for American educational institutions to remove DEI and race-conscious practices from the classroom and admissions programs.
Michael Duke is in his junior year at Fordham University. He is a Business Administration major, studying a minor in Business Law and Ethics and concentrations in Finance and Business Economics. He is the Special Counsel of his university’s College Republicans, and is the founding Chapter President of the Turning Point USA, NYC Activism Hub. He is a contributing writer for his university’s newspaper, The Ram. He is also published in the…