UC Berkeley’s California Law Review has continued to practice it’s priorities with treating writing ability as secondary to demographic considerations when selecting new editors, according to internal documents obtained by investigative reporters. The journal has been prioritising “diversity, equity and inclusion” goals over editing experience.
The Free Beacon examined 14 committee applications submitted between 2023 and 2026, along with internal communications revealing which candidates gained positions on the law review’s committee.
Committee members tasked with evaluating new editors wrote openly about weighing “diverse life experience” against “technical editing abilities.”
More details about the system
The California Law Review’s formal admissions process included three components: a primary editing test, line editing assessment and personal statement. Crucially, the journal does not consider applicant grades, which differentiates it from most competing law journals…