Texas may be the first state in the union to remove the American Bar Association from the accreditation process for law schools.
The Texas Supreme Court issued an order Friday indicating that the ABA’s role would be reduced and the court itself would instead consider which law schools are approved under the admission rules.
‘It’s time for the ABA’s monopoly to come to an end. I commend Texas for taking the lead and hope other states will soon follow.’
Texas is the first to strip the ABA from power, but other states are considering similar actions, including Florida, Ohio, and Tennessee. The anticipated changes would take place beginning Jan. 1.
“I’m supportive of ditching the ABA, but per FL’s constitution it is up to the FL Supreme Court to make that change,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) wrote on Sunday.
Many on the right praised the decision.
“The left-wing advocacy group known as the American Bar Association has long enjoyed exclusive authority to accredit law schools,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) wrote on social media. “It’s time for the ABA’s monopoly to come to an end. I commend Texas for taking the lead and hope other states will soon follow.”
Lee previously criticized the ABA in comments to Blaze News over the group’s privileged status on judicial nominees.
Jennifer Rosato Perea of the ABA said the organization is considering the “implications” of the order.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Texas and other states to ensure that a national accreditation system exists that promotes quality, efficiency, and flexibility while maintaining law degree portability across state lines, to the benefit of students, employers, law schools, and the states themselves,” Perea said.
The Texas Supreme Court building in Austin. Photo by Brenda Bazan/Xinhua via Getty Images
“Texas takes the sensible step of ending the ABA’s stranglehold on law school accreditation,” wrote Carrie Severino of the Judicial Crisis Network. “Rather than outsourcing this important gatekeeping role to a liberal activist group with a history of attempts to circumvent federal free speech and equal protection laws, the Texas Supreme Court will determine itself which schools can adequately provide legal education. I hope other states will follow their lead!”
Some critics accused Texas officials of scapegoating the ABA for low bar passage rates.
“Kind of the thing you’d expect from a state with a history of independence and secession efforts,” wrote Chris Williams of Above the Law.
The public is invited to comment on the proposal by Dec. 1.
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