Trump pushes to end American Bar Association oversight of law schools

Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News on Aug 21, 2026

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The Trump administration is pushing to end the American Bar Association’s role in accrediting law schools, claiming the group is too liberal and is controlled by supporters of “woke” diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

The Department of Education suggests in a 500-page report it may not renew the group’s authorization to oversee law schools when it expires later this year because ABA officials “inject their own political preferences, their own ideologies into the work that they do.”

The effort was first revealed by the Wall Street Journal on Friday.It’s part of a wide-ranging effort by the Trump administration to exercise greater power over institutions of higher education, which it believes are in the thrall of liberals.

“Accreditation, in general, operates like a cartel,” assistant Secretary of Education David Barker told the paper. “When there’s no competition, accreditors feel free to inject their own political preferences, their own ideologies into the work that they do.”

Conservatives say the ABA was slow to step away from DEI policies designed to make the legal profession more closely reflect American society even after the Supreme Court ruled that universities could not consider race in admissions.

It’s unclear what other group could be authorized to fill the accreditation role now played by the ABA.

The ABA oversees the programs of some 200 law schools in the U.S. Without accreditation, schools are unlikely to get federal funding for programs.

The ABA, which has played the accreditation role for 74 years, insists it is doing nothing wrong and its role should be extended without delay.

“We remain focused on ensuring quality legal education that produces competent, ethical attorneys who are eligible for licensure,” said Melissa Hart, chair of the ABA’s Accreditation Council.

The ABA operates as both a trade group for attorneys and an oversight organization for law schools, with two separate groups overseeing the divergent functions.

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