USNWR law school ranking fiasco ends with a whimper (until next rankings cycle)

In March, I chronicled the repeated problems that cropped up with the latest USNWR law school rankings. I titled it, “The USNWR law school rankings are deeply wounded--will law schools have the coordination to finish them off?” I identified four specific problems that plagued this year’s rankings and offered a few ways forward. I concluded:

Of course, I imagine these, like most such projects, would fall to infighting. It’s one thing for law schools to write a strongly-worded letter decrying what USNWR is doing. It’s another thing to, well, do something about it. I confess my solutions are half-baked and incomplete means of doing so.

But if there’s a moment to topple USNWR law school rankings, it is now. We’ll see if law schools do so.

Well, the answer is, perhaps unsurprisingly, no.

There was no effort, no formality, no movement forward. Law school complained very loudly, and the moment the rankings were released, touted them to prospective students and largely forgot about these issues. Indeed, USNWR delayed releasing its new (controversial) “diversity” rankings of law schools, and still has not done so.

The moment has passed… until next year, when, I’m sure, we’ll see similar cries from law schools and complaints and letters, and little action.