the required BA

I have always wondered how exactly a BA can be required when a college education is not provided free to everyone, as public schooling was when the high school degree became standard after WWII.  In other industrialized countries, college is free but in the US, it is not.

Is it legally justifiable for a hiring company to require a college diploma?

The industrial education complex is at its most powerful when we don't even question the assumptions it puts on the public. One of its greatest triumphs is establishing "a college degree" as a prerequisite for advanced degrees and entry level corporate jobs.
But does anyone other than colleges benefit from this? Is this a symbiotic relationship for the stakeholders of a business and society as a whole? Or is it a "we do it because we have done it" situation?

Clark Aldrich also has another post up, The College Problem, about what John Holt called the credentialing process that is also excellent.

Having said that, the value of college degrees are artificially propped up by discriminatory corporate hiring practices. Many of the best entry and even mid-level jobs assume a college degree, despite the dubious connection between the skills bestowed by many colleges and the skills required in the job itself.

I do have a post up about Zoho's hiring practices.