TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Apr 29, 2026

The American Bar Association (ABA) has settled a lawsuit brought by a nonprofit, which alleged that its law school scholarship program was discriminatory, according to Bloomberg Law. In a filing Monday, the ABA said it will refrain from using race or ethnicity to determine scholarship eligibility. The ABA’s Legal Opportunity Scholarship provides $15,000 to about 25 first-year law students. The American Alliance for Equal Rights filed suit in April 2025. The ABA subsequently updated the program’s eligibility requirements to remove references to underrepresented racial or ethnic groups and instead require “a strong commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion.” Under the settlement, the group will not receive damages or other relief, and no alliance member will receive scholarship funds.