LIBERAL BIAS IN LAW SCHOOL HIRING– A TEST CASE:  A first-of-its-kind trial begins Monday in Iowa, claiming that the University of Iowa law school violated the First Amendment rights of Teresa Wagner, a conservative woman turned down for a faculty position there.  Like most law schools, Iowa’s faculty was overwhelmingly Democrat, with 46 of 50 faculty members registered as such.  As an earlier study published in The Georgetown Law Journal in 2005 analyzed 11 years of federal campaign contributions by professors at the top 21 law schools as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.  Of those who gave $200 or more, the study found, 81 percent gave wholly or mostly to Democrats, while 15 percent gave wholly or mostly to Republicans. The percentage contributing to Democrats were shockingly lopsided at the most prestigious law schools: 91 percent at Harvard, 92 at Yale, 94 at Stanford.

The left-leaning nature of law faculties is undeniable (as with the rest of the academy).  In addition to a possible (probable) bias in hiring, one has to wonder:  What effect does this unbalanced, one-sided view of things have on lawyers’ learning of the law, particularly the Constitution?