'It sows more division': Wisconsin Bar sued over Diversity Clerkship program for 'historically excluded' law students

The State Bar of Wisconsin has been sued for allegedly violating the Constitution with a diversity clerkship program that asks for candidates from diverse backgrounds.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty is suing the State Bar for what it claims is the act of offering "premier internship opportunities based primarily on race."

Skylar Croy, an associate counsel for the institute, stated that "when the government discriminates based on race, it sows more division in our country and violates the Constitution in the process."

He added that the organization is "standing up against discrimination and holding the State Bar accountable to the rights of its dues-paying members."

The organization argued on behalf of a client named Daniel Suhr who is a state bar member, saying that he is being discriminated against as dues-paying member of the Bar.

"Using the funds of dues-paying members to provide invaluable internship experiences to only some law students based on race is a violation of the Constitution," the legal organization claimed.

The Diversity Clerkship Program is available to first-year students from either Marquette University Law School or the University of Wisconsin Law School and requires students to be from "backgrounds that have been historically excluded from the legal field" but are also "in good standing."

Somewhat religiously, successful applicants are also required to "demonstrate a commitment to diversity and a record of academic achievement."

The application form for students is both incredibly vague in its concept of "diversity" and still requiring that it be included in every facet of the application.

In their personal statement, students are advised to explain how they have "been affected by diversity," "contributed to diversity," and how they hope to "contribute to diversity in the future."

Additionally, students are asked to described what is "unique, special, distinctive and/or impressive" about their life story and how their "commitment to diversity" influenced their decision to attend law school.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty also pointed to a list of Wisconsin's largest companies, law firms, and government agencies that participate in the program. They include the city of Madison, Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Department of Justice, and GE Healthcare, a company owned by General Electric that has an estimated revenue of over $18 billion per year.

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