The U.S. News & World Report law school rankings are back in the news. Last fall, some of the country’s most prestigious law schools announced that they would no longer cooperate with the publication’s rankings by furnishing data on their entering students’ undergraduate grades and LSAT scores, and on student debt. A recent conference at Harvard Law School reiterated those complaints. Speakers claimed that the U.S. News rankings encouraged grade-based rather than need-based financial aid, and that they discouraged schools from supporting public interest careers.

U.S. News has now replied, and its response is not surprising. In the long-ago days, U.S. News advertised with the slogan “News You Can Use.” Its spokesman says the purpose of its rankings was “to use data to measure the return on investment for students.” In other words, it regards a law degree as a capital asset that people buy to obtain a higher future income. That may not be 100% of the truth, but it is substantially true. Some people go to law school to make the world a better place, but no one goes there intending to become poorer.