{"id":2647495,"date":"2026-08-20T17:02:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T21:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignexclusive-watchdog-asks-ed-department-to-block-american-bar-associations-renewal-as-law-schools-sole-accreditor\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T17:05:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T21:05:22","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignexclusive-watchdog-asks-ed-department-to-block-american-bar-associations-renewal-as-law-schools-sole-accreditor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignexclusive-watchdog-asks-ed-department-to-block-american-bar-associations-renewal-as-law-schools-sole-accreditor\/","title":{"rendered":"Watchdog Asks Ed Department To Block ABA&#8217;s Renewal"},"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\">16<\/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%2Futm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignexclusive-watchdog-asks-ed-department-to-block-american-bar-associations-renewal-as-law-schools-sole-accreditor%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=2647495&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>Opposition is increasing against the American Bar association\u2019s (ABA) renewal as the sole federal accreditor for law schools, mainly due to concerns over its promotion of diversity, equity, adn inclusion (DEI) and other ideological policies. A letter from watchdog group Protect the Public\u2019s Trust (PPT) to the Department of Education urges rejecting the ABA\u2019s renewal, accusing it of abusing its accreditation power to enforce ideological conformity, discriminating unlawfully under the guise of DEI, and engaging in partisan and anti-competitive conduct. The letter criticizes the ABA\u2019s standards-especially standard 206 and 303(c)-for enforcing affirmative action and mandating DEI-related training, which they say conflict with legal and constitutional principles. Despite claims of pausing certain standards,the ABA is accused of acting in bad faith and perhaps delaying reforms until a more favorable management takes power. Historically, the ABA has pushed racial preferences, questioned religious institutions&#8217; policies, and participated in national culture wars via Supreme Court amicus briefs on abortion, gun rights, and transgender issues. Some states are already reducing or reviewing the ABA\u2019s influence. The letter recommends suspending the ABA\u2019s accreditation authority or separating it into an independent body, emphasizing that the ABA\u2019s involvement in political debates disqualifies it from acting as a neutral entity. Recent federal rules from the Trump administration aim to diversify accrediting organizations, viewing accreditation as a strategic tool for controlling higher education.  <\/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>\n<p>Opposition to the American Bar Association\u2019s (ABA) \u201crole as the federal government\u2019s exclusive law school accreditor\u201d is growing ahead of its September renewal hearing, as the left-wing organization\u2019s history of pushing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and other ideologies make them <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/13\/the-american-bar-association-is-unfit-to-accredit-law-schools-and-the-trump-admin-can-stop-them\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unfit<\/a> for such a powerful position.<\/p>\n<p>In a Thursday letter obtained by The Federalist, government watchdog Protect the Public\u2019s Trust (PPT) urged the Department of Education\u2019s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) and Education Secretary Linda McMahon to reject the ABA\u2019s renewal as the only recognized accreditor for America\u2019s law schools.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ABA has a lengthy record of misusing its accreditation power to enforce ideological conformity, require discriminatory DEI policies, and engage in partisan and potentially anti-competitive conduct. It has proven itself completely unqualified to serve as a neutral gatekeeper to the legal profession,\u201d PPT communications director Alexa Moutevelis told The Federalist.\u00a0\u201cThe Department of Education should no longer allow this organization to strong-arm law schools into forcing racially discriminatory programming requirements and admissions standards. The freedom of our nation\u2019s brightest young legal minds depends on it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>McMahon will have the ultimate statutory authority to determine if the ABA continues to be a \u201creliable authority\u201d to have accreditation powers.<\/p>\n<p>The letter details the ABA\u2019s many offenses related to DEI and other left-wing ideological goals, some of which it says are unlawfully discriminatory and are in direct contravention of an <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/04\/24\/trump-admin-targets-university-accreditors-for-their-dei-activism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">executive order<\/a> signed by President Donald Trump to rein in accreditors\u2019 institutional capture of American universities.<\/p>\n<p>The ABA considers DEI to be a \u201cstrategic imperative\u201d for itself and for the legal profession as a whole. \u201cIt permeates everything we do internally and externally as an association,\u201d the ABA states. <\/p>\n<p>However, because of the Trump administration\u2019s focus on rooting out the discriminatory ideology, the ABA encourages schools to come up with under-the-table work-arounds so that they can maintain the ideology while not being the subject of federal scrutiny and disciplinary action.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ABA effectively requires schools to <em>find<\/em> creative ways to <em>avoid constitutional or statutory requirements<\/em> that conflict with its DEI mandates,\u201d the letter states [emphasis in original]. \u201cIt conditions accreditation on violating the spirit of the law, if not the literal text.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The ABA\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanbar.org\/content\/dam\/aba\/administrative\/legal_education_and_admissions_to_the_bar\/standards\/2024-2025\/2024-2025-standards-and-rules-for-approval-of-law-schools.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Standard 206<\/a> effectively <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/13\/the-american-bar-association-is-unfit-to-accredit-law-schools-and-the-trump-admin-can-stop-them\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">enforces<\/a> affirmative action hiring at law schools as a criteria for accreditation, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.buffalo.edu\/beyond\/aba303c.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Standard 303(c)<\/a> required all accredited law schools to teach \u201cbias, cross-cultural competency, and racism,\u201d both at the beginning of law school and prior to graduation.<\/p>\n<p>The ABA claims it paused Standard 206 and is considering the repeal of 303(c), but the PPT letter says the ABA is acting in \u201cbad faith.\u201d \u201cWith these issues still pending, one might even surmise that the ABA intends to continue to run out the clock until a more favorable administration takes office,\u201d it states.<\/p>\n<p>The letter quotes the ABA 2025\u20132026 Standards and Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools, which states, \u201cThe requirement of a constitutional provision or statute that purports to prohibit consideration of gender, race, ethnicity, or national origin in admissions or employment decisions is not a justification for a school\u2019s non-compliance with Standard 206. A law school that is subject to such constitutional or statutory provisions would have to demonstrate the commitment required by Standard 206 by means other than those prohibited by the applicable constitutional or statutory provisions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>PPT also notes that that the ABA was unclear about how to apply 303(c), \u201cresulting in many schools \u2019embedding mandatory DEI seminars, implicit bias workshops, identity-based programming, and race-conscious curricular modules into already crowded academic schedules.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile the ABA has temporarily suspended the specific DEI accreditation requirements that directly conflict with the EO and the recent Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions, it is clear that discriminatory ideology is baked into the core of its guiding principles and could reemerge at any time,\u201d the letter states. \u201cBeyond this, an organization with a lengthy track record of abusing its accreditation power to enforce ideological conformity, engaging in anti-competitive behavior that could violate antitrust law, and participating in partisan political behavior is ill-suited and unqualified to serve in such a crucial role as a neutral gatekeeper to the legal profession.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The ABA has been doing DEI enforcement for many years, and well before it was part of the popular political conversation, as PPT noted it adopted \u201cmandating an explicit quota\u201d where Continuing Legal Education panels needed a minimum of \u201cdiverse members\u201d in 2016. In 2000, the ABA went after George Mason University law school for refusing to use racialized admissions tactics. The ABA threatened the accreditation of the school unless it implemented racial preferences.<\/p>\n<p>In 2021, the ABA sent \u201cthreatening letters\u201d to Ohio Northern University \u201cquestioning its commitment to diversity and inclusion,\u201d the letter states.<\/p>\n<p>It also filed a brief in favor of racial discrimination in <em>Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College<\/em>, which ultimately deemed affirmative action unconstitutional. After that case was decided, the ABA was still defiant in its promotion of racial discrimination, publishing a course on \u201chow to future-proof your DEI strategy\u201d and \u201cidentify actionable strategies to help companies withstand anti-DEI pressure,\u201d the letter states.<\/p>\n<p>The ABA\u2019s focus is not just racial, it also targets religious institutions for adhering to their religion. It sent two noncompliance notices to St. Thomas University College of Law because it questioned whether non-Catholic students would be discriminated against.<\/p>\n<p>According to the letter, the ABA persistently attempts to put its thumb on the scale of conservative judicial appointees, claiming they are less qualified to serve than their left-wing friends. It may even be trying to get away with saying it is objective by giving higher qualification ratings to older Republican appointees who are in their waning years on the bench and are almost certainly not in consideration for future nominations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ABA is also an active participant in the nation\u2019s culture wars. It has filed amicus briefs with the Supreme Court that defend nationwide abortion, oppose Second Amendment rights, and support the most extreme transgender ideology,\u201d the letter states. \u201cThe organization supports a range of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-county-sees-40-surge-in-shoplifting-under-soros-prosecutor\/\" title=\"Virginia county experiences 40% rise in shoplifting with Soros prosecutor.\">progressive criminal justice reforms<\/a>, including eliminating cash bail and mandatory minimum sentences, and expanding \u2018alternatives to incarceration.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some states have stopped or diminished the ABA\u2019s stranglehold on accreditation and bar approval, including Florida, Texas, and Alabama, while Ohio and Tennessee are reviewing the ABA\u2019s influence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt a minimum, this power should be suspended until such time as it fully separates its accreditation activities into an independent organization,\u201d the letter states. \u201cThe ABA can either be a participant in the political and culture wars or a neutral accreditor of law schools, but not both. At the end of the day, we must ask ourselves a simple question: has the ABA fairly and responsibly exercised its exclusive grant of federal accreditation power? The answer appears to be a resounding no.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As The Federalist <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/08\/19\/education-department-breaks-left-wing-university-accreditation-cabal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, the Trump administration on Wednesday published rules that would open the door for other accreditors to be recognized across American higher education, as Trump himself <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/04\/24\/trump-admin-targets-university-accreditors-for-their-dei-activism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recognizes<\/a> that accreditation is the \u201csecret weapon\u201d for controlling universities.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Breccan F. Thies is the White House correspondent for The Federalist. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. As an investigative journalist, he previously covered education and culture issues for the Washington Examiner and Breitbart News. He holds a degree from the University of Virginia and is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Opposition grows against ABA\u2019s exclusive law school accreditation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":179,"featured_media":2647496,"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\/08\/1280px-The_American_Bar_Association_ABA_54182239671.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[51531,35134,5152,4326,6056],"class_list":["post-2647495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-aba","tag-department-of-education","tag-education","tag-policy","tag-watchdog"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1280px-The_American_Bar_Association_ABA_54182239671.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647495","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\/179"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2647495"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2647499,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2647495\/revisions\/2647499"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2647496"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2647495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2647495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2647495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}