Law.com, 19 State AGs Refute Recent Effort to Remove Race-Based Criteria From Accreditation:
In response to a recent letter from 21 state attorneys general urging the American Bar Association to remove race-based criteria from its accreditation process, 19 other state AGs wrote a letter Thursday refuting what they called “baseless attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and programs.”
The letter, spearheaded by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, is not only addressed to the ABA but also to “Fortune 100 CEOs and other organizations unfairly targeted for their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
“Today, the undersigned 19 Attorneys General write to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that diversity, equity, and inclusion programs continue to effectively address discrimination throughout the private and philanthropic sector,” the letter states. “We also write to respond to coordinated attempts to contort the law and invalidate programs aimed at eliminating and preventing racial inequities.”
According to a Thursday release from Connecticut Attorney General William Tong’s office, the June 3 letter “falsely” claims that the association’s standard on diversity and inclusion violates the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, saying that since the ruling, “groups seeking to dismantle broader programs aimed at reducing racial inequities have attempted to use the ruling to justify their actions, which have included intimidation and phony legal challenges.”
Along with Connecticut and Illinois, AGs from California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Washington, D.C., signed the rebuttal letter. …
In addition to Tennessee, AGs from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Virginia signed the June 3 letter.
That leaves 11 states that have not taken a stance: Arizona, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
