"The American Bar Association's Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar voted to strike standard 206, which requires law schools to show "a commitment to diversity and inclusion" by having faculty, staff and student bodies that are "diverse with respect to gender, race, and ethnicity.""
"However, elimination of the standard won't become final until the ABA's House of Delegates considers it-which could happen as early as August-and debates revisions. That means the rule likely won't officially be removed until 2027."
""Even though I personally agree with [the diversity standard] and what it tries to achieve, I think it's appropriate as an accrediting body that we eliminate that standard so we don't inhibit the diversity of ideas out there in various types of legal education environments," said David Brennen, a council member and a former dean of the University of Kentucky College of Law, according to Reuters."
"The ABA first suspended the rule in February 2025 amid the Trump administration's moves to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across higher education. In April 2025, Trump issued an executive order calling for the termination or suspension of any accreditor engaged "in unlawful discrimination in accreditation-related activity under the guise of 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' initiatives," and specifically directed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to investigate the ABA's accrediting arm."
The American Bar Association’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar voted to strike Standard 206, which requires law schools to demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion through diverse faculty, staff, and student bodies by gender, race, and ethnicity. Removal is not final until the ABA’s House of Delegates considers the change, potentially as early as August, with debates and revisions afterward. The rule is likely to remain in effect until 2027. A council member supported eliminating the standard to avoid inhibiting diversity of ideas across different legal education environments. The ABA suspended the rule in February 2025 and later faced scrutiny after a Trump executive order directed investigation of the ABA’s accrediting arm over alleged unlawful discrimination under DEI initiatives.
#law-school-accreditation #diversity-and-inclusion #dei-policy #american-bar-association #trump-administration
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