Penn State Shakeup Underscores Need to End Ideological Indoctrination in Law Schools

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) issued the following statement from Chief Legal Affairs Officer Leigh Ann O’Neill after Penn State announced that Danielle Conway would immediately step down as dean of Penn State Dickinson Law and return to the faculty:

“Under Conway’s leadership, first-year students were required to take ‘Race and the Equal Protection of the Law,’ a program that presented deeply contested ideology about race and the criminal justice system. Penn State characterized the course as one that allowed the school to meet the American Bar Association’s DEI requirements. AFPI asked the Department of Education to investigate whether the ABA Council remains fit to serve as the sole federally recognized national accreditor of Juris Doctor programs.

Future lawyers should be taught to think critically, to examine evidence, challenge assumptions, test arguments, and defend constitutional rights—not confirm to a one-sided and biased worldview. The ABA Council has now begun the process of repealing these biased standards, but the fight is not over. The Department of Education should continue examining whether legal education accreditation protects civil rights, academic rigor, and genuine viewpoint diversity.”

Penn State announced that Conway’s return to the faculty was effective immediately but did not state a reason for the change. In the months preceding the announcement, AFPI Legal’s official legal complaint to the university and its letter to the Department of Education raised concerns with Penn State and the Department of Education regarding Dickinson Law’s curriculum and the ABA’s accreditation standards. A Dickinson Law student represented by AFPI also filed a complaint alleging that the school required ideological coursework and censored his response to the university community.