New U.S. News Law School Ranking: While the U.S. News rankings shouldn't matter as much as they do, it's news worthy that the new law school rankings reportedly are out. I haven't confirmed that the rankings posted on a law school discussion board are accurate, but the rankings purporting to be the new list can be found here.

  As usual, not much motion relative to the previous year's rankings. (As I noted two years ago, commenting on the 2003 rankings: "It's basically the same as last year, which was basically the same as the year before that, which was basically the same as the year before that.") Of interest to the frequent posters here at the VC, UCLA was 16 and is now tied at 15; GW was in a 3-way tie for 20 and is now in a 2-way tie for 20; BU was in a tie for 23 and is now in a tie for 20 with GW; and GMU was tied for 38 and is now in a 6-way tie for 41.

  Thanks to lawprof Roger Alford of 22-spot jumping Pepperdine for the link.

  UPDATE: For a good explanation of the U.S. News methodology and its considerable flaws, see this page from Brian Leiter.

Brian Leiter on new U.S. News Ranking: Over at the Leiter Reports, Brian Leiter offers some commentary on the new U.S. News law school ranking:

The most worrisome aspect of the new US News data (which should be on-line by Friday) is that it is now clear that the academic reputation survey component of the ranking is completely unhinged from any actual change in either faculty or student quality at the law schools in question. (A stunning example: UCLA, which made several significant faculty appointments last year, saw no change in its academic reputation score. Other schools in similar situations even saw their academic reputation scores decline! In general, the pattern is clear: the "peer reputation" scores among academics are basically gravitating towards the typical overall US News rank of the school, i.e., the "reputation" is being determined by the typical US News ranking which, itself, purports to be based in significant part (25%) on reputation. Talk about an echo chamber!)