Could the Law School obtain a racially diverse class with a colorblind process, by placing greater emphasis on socioeconomic diversity?
A. No. Racial diversity and socioeconomic diversity are not the same thing. The experience of the law school at UCLA is instructive. When a colorblind process emphasizing socioeconomic diversity was adopted there, African American enrollment in the entering class fell from 19 students in 1996, to 10 in 1997, 8 in 1998, and three students in 1999. For the class that entered fall 2001, only 10 African American students are enrolled.
