Trump Education Department faces decision on ABA's law school accreditation monopoly
A split 8-8 vote by a federal advisory panel sent the fate of the American Bar Association’s accreditation authority to Education Under Secretary Nicholas Kent, who has 90 days to act.
An evenly split advisory panel on higher-education quality sent the question of the American Bar Association’s accreditation monopoly to Education Department Under Secretary Nicholas Kent, who must decide within 90 days whether to strip the ABA of its federal recognition. The panel cited the ABA’s lack of independence from its parent organization and more than 26 compliance failures, prompting staff to recommend revocation.
ABA officials pointed to a continuous 74-year compliance history, but legal advocacy groups and senior officials from America First Legal contend that structural flaws and the recent repeal of a controversial DEI accreditation standard undermine public trust. If Kent moves to end the ABA’s status, roughly a dozen stand-alone law schools could lose access to federal student aid, and state supreme courts would need to adjust bar-admission rules. Several states, including Texas and Florida, have already begun bypassing the ABA, signaling a broader shift toward state-run accreditation.
Why it matters
The decision could reshape legal education, affect federal student aid, and alter bar-exam eligibility across the United States.
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