Dean Matthew Diller was quoted in a Law360 article examining the New York State Bar Association’s statement that question 26 on the bar admission, which asks candidates about their priors and juvenile records, is illegal and should be revised.
The New York State Bar Association said Monday that a state bar admission question asking candidates about their priors and juvenile records is illegal and should be revised.
Question 26 on the bar admission application asks, “Have you ever, either as an adult or a juvenile, been cited, ticketed, arrested, taken into custody, charged with, indicted, convicted or tried for, or pleaded guilty to, the commission of any felony or misdemeanor or the violation of any law, or been the subject of any juvenile delinquency or youthful offender proceeding?”
The question also requires disclosure of any drug- or alcohol-related traffic violations.
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Matthew Diller, the dean of Fordham University School of Law, one of the institutions that provided feedback on Question 26’s revision, told Law360 Pulse in an email that the question deters some people from applying to law school.
“This chilling effect falls disproportionately on prospective applicants of color and contributes to the lack of diversity in the legal profession,” he said.