American Bar Association Caves On DEI Rule For Law Schools

Interesting american bar association, dei, law school admin May 16, 2026 0 Comments

American Bar Association Caves On DEI Rule For Law Schools

A longstanding rule by the American Bar Association (ABA) requiring law schools to meet diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) standards is beginning to be formally rolled back Friday after a vote by the ABA.

The vote on the table was to eliminate an ABA rule that mandates American law schools to uphold a traceable “commitment to diversity” via admissions, recruitment practices, and “student programming,” Reuters reported. This change in policy comes in the wake of President Donald Trump’s administration taking aim at DEI practices across the federal government and academia.

The rule had been suspended since February 2025, as targeting DEI was an early initiative of President Trump when he took office.

“Even though I personally agree with [the diversity and inclusion 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,” David Brennen, a sitting council member and a former dean ⁠of the University of Kentucky College of Law said, according to Reuters. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Civil Rights Group Calls For Federal Investigation Of State University Over ‘Hidden’ DEI)

The change is not yet final. The ABA body that voted to eliminate the rule is a council that handles and oversees law school accreditation. The ABA House of Delegates will consider the measure in early August, where delegates will discuss the rule. The final changes could go into effect next year.

Efforts to reconsider DEI policies by the ABA come as the Trump administration applied pressure on the ABA.

In April 2025, President Trump signed an executive order calling upon U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon to look into whether the federal government should suspend or terminate the ABA as the government’s official law school ‌accreditor due to its “unlawful ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ requirements,” Reuters noted.