Wall Street Journal Editorial, How the ABA Spreads DEI in Law Schools:

Diversity, equity and inclusion programs are supposed to be on their way out of higher education, but the American Bar Association doesn’t want to admit it. The lawyers’ guild is still mandating DEI standards that law schools must meet to be accredited.

That’s the subject of a new report from the conservative nonprofit Defending Education, which works to reduce politics in the classroom. It documents how ABA standards still push law schools to require diversity training as a prerequisite for graduation. …

The ABA suspended Standard 206 of its Rules of Procedure for Approval of Law Schools, which required schools to demonstrate a “commitment to diversity and inclusion.” But that was only half the problem. The ABA left untouched Standard 303(c), which requires law schools to “provide education to law students on bias, cross cultural competency and racism” twice before a student graduates. …

The U.S. Education Department’s National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity will review the ABA’s federal recognition this summer, and the bar association should be concerned. It lost its privileged status approving judicial nominees because it couldn’t get the political bias out of its ratings. Now it’s risking the same as an accreditor.

Law.com, Law School Professors, Deans Urge ABA to ‘Retain and Strengthen’ Diversity Accreditation Standard:

The vast majority of commenters opposed the repeal of a DEI standard required for law school accreditation. Only two supported the repeal.

Hundreds of deans, law firm lawyers and others are urging the American Bar Association Accreditation Council to “retain and strengthen” instead of repealing, a standard that governs DEI requirements in law school admissions, even amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on these rules.

Reuters, Law Professors Defend ABA’s Law School Diversity Rule Ahead of Elimination Vote:

Hundreds of law professors, deans, students, lawyers and bar associations are urging the American Bar Association not to eliminate its longstanding diversity and inclusion requirement for law schools, which has come under fire amid the Trump administration’s widespread ​campaign against DEI.

• ABA Journal, DEI Law School Accreditation Standard Finds Support in Comments
• Above the Law, Law Professors Argue Abandoning The Diversity Rule Will Hurt The ABA’s Reputation
• Law.com, California Law School Leaders Join Call for ABA to ‘Retain and Strengthen’ Diversity Accreditation Standard

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