TBA Law Blog

TBA Law Blog

Texas Supreme Court Ends ABA Law School Accreditation

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Jan 7, 2026

The Texas Supreme Court has ended the state’s reliance on the American Bar Association (ABA) to accredit its law schools, finalizing a rule that places the state’s high court in charge of that certification, Bloomberg Law reports. The court issued preliminary approval in September but continued to solicit public comments throughout the fall. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission weighed in with support in December, calling the ABA a monopoly. In its Jan. 6 order, the court said it intends to ensure that law degrees from Texas schools are portable to other states and vice versa, and does not plan to impose additional burdens on accreditation. The court added it would consider returning to a multi-state accreditation entity that is not the ABA “should a suitable entity become available.” In February 2025, the Trump administration threatened to pull the ABA’s accrediting power nationwide unless it ended its diversity requirements for law schools. The ABA agreed to temporarily suspend enforcement of its diversity and inclusion mandate. 

Texas’ move comes as the Tennessee Supreme Court is similarly examining whether to "modify, reduce or eliminate its reliance on ABA accreditation" as part of a broader review of legal education, licensure and regulatory structures, and whether there are any practicable alternatives that should be considered. Feedback on the court's order may be sent to TBA's newly formed Legal Access & Regulatory Reform Task Force at townhall@tnbar.org as well as directly to the court. Visit TBA's Legal Access & Regulatory Reform resource page for more information.

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