The Daily Signal
Harvard’s Decade-Long Radicalization: Lower Standards, Middle Eastern Cash, Politicization | Victor Davis Hanson
Apr 15, 2025
Victor Davis Hanson, a prominent military historian and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, delves into the troubling transformation of elite law schools like Harvard. He argues that politicization and dependence on foreign funds are undermining academic standards. The discussion highlights recent events, such as the controversial Wikipedia Edit-A-Thon, which reflects a deeper issue within legal education. Hanson calls for an urgent reevaluation of hiring practices to restore competency and credibility among graduates.
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Quick takeaways
- Elite law schools, like Harvard, have lowered academic standards and acceptance criteria in pursuit of social justice, compromising graduate quality.
- The politicization of legal education has created a gap between the skills taught and the expectations of law firms, impacting employment opportunities.
Deep dives
The Shift in Elite Law Schools
Elite law schools have undergone significant changes in their admission standards and curricula, leading to a decline in the quality of their graduates. Approximately 95% of faculty members at institutions like Harvard, Yale, and Stanford are politically left-leaning, contributing to a shift away from empirical legal education. These institutions have started accepting a wider range of students under less stringent criteria, sometimes even foregoing traditional measures such as the LSAT and GPA assessments. Consequently, schools like Harvard and Stanford have seen their rankings drop and their graduates face challenges in passing the bar exam, raising concerns about the implications for future legal practitioners.
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