TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on May 21, 2026

The American Bar Association (ABA) Council of Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar recently voted to eliminate a rule that requires law schools to demonstrate a commitment to diversity in recruitment, admissions and student programming. Reuters reports that the move comes after the ABA Standards Committee determined that the council’s role as an accreditor “would be imminently threatened if the diversity and inclusion rule is not repealed." Read the committee's memo. In April 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the U.S. Education Department to assess whether to suspend or terminate the ABA's role as the government's official law school accreditor. The rule has been suspended since February 2025. Any change will not become final until the ABA House of Delegates votes on the matter. Also last week, the council voted to gather public comments on eliminating a 2022 rule requiring law schools to educate students about bias, racism and cross-cultural competency, as well as a proposal to pare back a non-discrimination rule for students and faculty.