{"id":2530977,"date":"2026-01-07T12:36:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T17:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-ends-american-bar-associations-monopoly-on-law-schools\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T12:39:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T17:39:43","slug":"texas-ends-american-bar-associations-monopoly-on-law-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-ends-american-bar-associations-monopoly-on-law-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Ends American Bar Association&#8217;s Monopoly On Law Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftexas-ends-american-bar-associations-monopoly-on-law-schools%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2530977&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The texas Supreme Court has ended the American Bar Association&#8217;s (ABA) role in approving law schools for purposes of eligibility to sit for the texas bar, making Texas the first state to do so. In a short order adopting amendments proposed in September 2025, the Court said the ABA should no longer have the final say and pledged to grant ongoing approval to schools that meet simple, objective, and ideologically neutral criteria no more burdensome than current ABA standards.Consequently, Texas law graduates no longer must attend an ABA\u2011accredited school to become licensed in the state; authority to approve law schools now rests with the state&#8217;s highest civil court. The move was framed as restoring stability and flexibility to approved schools while maintaining comparable standards for ongoing approval. The article notes prior criticisms of the ABA as partisan and alleges the association engaged in discriminatory diversity policies; it also cites a 2025 Justice Department letter warning the ABA that such practices could jeopardize its accreditation authority. Other states, including Florida, Ohio, and Tennessee, have considered similar steps.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:American_Bar_Association_(14325372612).jpg\">Tony Webster\/Wikimedia Commons\/<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/deed.en\">CC BY 2.0<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/01\/07\/texas-squashes-left-wing-american-bar-associations-monopoly-on-law-school-accreditation\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Texas%20Squashes%20Left-Wing%20American%20Bar%20Association%E2%80%99s%20Monopoly%20On%20Law%20School%20Accreditation&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/01\/07\/texas-squashes-left-wing-american-bar-associations-monopoly-on-law-school-accreditation\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Texas%20Squashes%20Left-Wing%20American%20Bar%20Association%E2%80%99s%20Monopoly%20On%20Law%20School%20Accreditation&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/01\/07\/texas-squashes-left-wing-american-bar-associations-monopoly-on-law-school-accreditation\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/01\/07\/texas-squashes-left-wing-american-bar-associations-monopoly-on-law-school-accreditation\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Texas%20Squashes%20Left-Wing%20American%20Bar%20Association%E2%80%99s%20Monopoly%20On%20Law%20School%20Accreditation&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/01\/07\/texas-squashes-left-wing-american-bar-associations-monopoly-on-law-school-accreditation\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Texas officially terminated the left-wing American Bar Association&rsquo;s (ABA) oversight of its law schools on Tuesday, making it the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kwbu.org\/news-from-across-texas\/2025-10-03\/texas-supreme-court-breaks-with-american-bar-association-over-law-school-credentials\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">first state<\/a> in the nation to do so. <\/p>\n<p>In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.txcourts.gov\/media\/1461882\/269002.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">two-page order<\/a>, the Texas Supreme Court approved amendments it <a href=\"https:\/\/www.txcourts.gov\/media\/1461357\/259070.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">proposed<\/a> in late September 2025, which effectively declared &ldquo;that the ABA should no longer have the final say on whether a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >law school&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s graduates are eligible to sit for the Texas bar exam and become licensed to practice law in Texas.&rdquo; As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.keranews.org\/news\/2026-01-06\/texas-supreme-court-ends-american-bar-association-law-school-accreditation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a> by local media, the bar exam is &ldquo;a requirement to becoming a licensed lawyer in each state.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1305736083\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;[T]he Court advised that it intends to provide stability, certainty, and flexibility to currently approved law schools by guaranteeing ongoing approval to schools that satisfy a set of simple, objective, and ideologically neutral criteria using metrics no more onerous than those currently required by the ABA,&rdquo; the court&rsquo;s Tuesday order reads. <\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.keranews.org\/news\/2026-01-06\/texas-supreme-court-ends-american-bar-association-law-school-accreditation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">local media<\/a>, &ldquo;The change means law school graduates who want to practice in Texas are no longer required to attend an ABA-accredited school,&rdquo; and the authority &ldquo;to approve those law schools now rests solely with the state&rsquo;s highest civil court.&rdquo; As of now, law schools currently &ldquo;on Texas&rsquo;s list of approved schools need only ensure compliance&rdquo; with ABA standards noted by the court to &ldquo;maintain ongoing approval by the Court,&rdquo; according to the order.<\/p>\n<p>Tuesday&rsquo;s developments represent a major step in dismantling the ideological stranglehold the ABA has been allowed to maintain over America&rsquo;s law schools and the legal profession.<\/p>\n<p>As The Federalist&rsquo;s Joy Pullmann previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/03\/10\/the-trump-admin-and-all-republican-states-should-ditch-the-american-bar-association\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, the ABA regularly &ldquo;advocates for and engages in unlawful racial and sexual discrimination and is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-listed-as-unindicted-co-conspirator-in-michigan-fake-electors-case\/\" title=\"Trump identified as unindicted co-conspirator in Michigan fake electors lawsuit\">highly partisan actor<\/a> on behalf of the Democrat Party and other anti-Constitution activists.&rdquo; The organization, she noted, &ldquo;deeply affects the U.S. lawyer pipeline and licensing system, accrediting law schools, rating judges, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-who-blocked-trump-dei-orders-worked-at-leftist-law-firm\/\" title=\"Judge Who Blocked Trump DEI Orders Worked At Leftist Law Firm\">weaponizing lawyer discipline<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-and-all-states-should-ditch-the-american-bar-association\/\" title=\"Trump And All ...s Should Ditch The American Bar Association\">rabid leftism means<\/a> the ABA systematically ratchets the entire U.S. legal system against the U.S. Constitution,&rdquo; Pullmann added. <\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/03\/10\/the-trump-admin-and-all-republican-states-should-ditch-the-american-bar-association\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Trump Admin And All Republican States Should Ditch The American Bar Association<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Since returning to office, the Trump administration has put the ABA on notice for engaging in the &ldquo;unlawful racial and sexual discrimination&rdquo; described by Pullmann. <\/p>\n<p>In February 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/ag\/media\/1392081\/dl?inline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letter<\/a> lambasting the organization&rsquo;s accrediting body for &ldquo;subject[ing] law faculties and law students to unlawful race and sex discrimination under the guise of &lsquo;diversity&#8217;&rdquo; &mdash; a policy she asserted &ldquo;blatantly violates our nation&rsquo;s civil rights laws and conflicts&rdquo; with the U.S. Supreme Court&rsquo;s 2023 decision declaring affirmative action unconstitutional. The letter further warned that the ABA could see its accreditation authority revoked if it continued to embrace such practices.<\/p>\n<p>Other states <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/litigation\/tennessee-joins-states-eying-end-abas-role-law-school-accreditation-2025-09-17\/#:~:text=A%20handful%20of%20states%20in,Reporting%20by%20Karen%20Sloan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">considering<\/a> whether to ditch the ABA&rsquo;s role in their law school accreditation processes include Florida, Ohio, and Tennessee. <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/accreditation\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">accreditation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/american-bar-association\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">American Bar Association<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/law\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Law<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/law-schools\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Law Schools<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lawfare\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">lawfare<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/legal-profession\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">legal profession<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/texas\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Texas<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/texas-supreme-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Texas Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Texas ends ABA oversight of law schools<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2530978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/American-Bar-Association.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[70320,70323,70321,70322,70319],"class_list":["post-2530977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-aba-accreditation","tag-law-school-regulation","tag-legal-education-reform","tag-state-accreditation","tag-texas-law-schools"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/American-Bar-Association.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2530977"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530977\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2530981,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530977\/revisions\/2530981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2530978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2530977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2530977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2530977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}