The Magna, therefore, must not have involved grades, but rather was awarded by the faculty who otherwise faced the prospect of the baton-wielding President of the Harvard Law Review graduating without Honors, which would scream AA, and undermine the credibility of HLS and the HLR. Better to throw in the Magna, and everyone looks a lot better.”
I like this, especially considering that two of the faculty were cleared of plagiarism charges themselves by a panel that included than Kagan & Sommers. On the other hand, who has checked out his magna status? Or is that another one of those pesky questions gentlemen simply don’t ask?
All that is known is that HLS confirms the Magna, which no one disputes. What is not known is the class rank or the GPA, which are purported to be the sole criterion for the Magna to be awarded.
It would go like this:
Reporter: President Obama, you graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Law School.
Obama: Yes, I did.
Reporter: What was your class rank in the J.D. graduating class of 567?
Obama: I don't recall.
Reporter: Oh, that's okay. What was your GPA, then?
Obama: Filibuster answer for 20 minutes.