the ABA doesn't require a JD candidate to hold a BA either. Just 3/4ths of the units. the JD is a misnomer. It was originally an LL.B. , leading to an LL.M, and ultimately to an SJD.
But since LL.B was as far as most went, they made it a professional doctoral, like an M.D.
My own personal stance is that if you're smart enough to pass the bar, and are the king of studying on your own, then it can't hurt. At the end of the day, if you pass the bar, you pass the bar. But if you're smart enough to pass the bar after going online, you should be smart enough to get into a traditional law school.
Basically it's a catch 22. If you need to go there because of your lack of selectability, then they won't do you any good. If you are so good that it doesn't matter where you go, then you could easily go to a regular school. This is especially true in California.