TEXAS \u2014\u00a0Texas is the first state to no longer require law schools to be accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). The move comes amid scrutiny from President Donald Trump surrounding the ABA\u2019s diversity and inclusion standards reaffirmed in 2025. In a memo sent to U.S. lawyers, the Department of Labor argues ABA\u2019s diversity practices are, \u201cnon-ideological at certain times, but takes decidedly radical ideological positions at others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Law experts say, for now, not much will change for students enrolled in law schools across the state. None have announced plans to drop their ABA accreditation since the January ruling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A partial statement from St. Mary\u2019s University says its law school, \u201c\u2026intends to maintain its American Bar Association\u00a0accreditation\u00a0as well as any state-required\u00a0accreditation, in order to maximize the value and portability of our law degree.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very unlikely that any Texas law school is going to drop its accreditation as a result of the Texas order,\u201d said Daniel Thies, chair of the council of the ABA section of legal education and admissions to the Bar.<\/p>\n
The requirement for Texas law schools to be accredited by the ABA had been established more than four decades ago.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a standard that most people recognize in the law community across the country,\u201d said Katy Boortz, a criminal defense lawyer for 20 years and counting. \u201cIt\u2019s the gold standard, really.\u201d<\/p>\n
The goal of the ABA is to give law students a quality education at its accredited schools throughout the U.S., increasing their chances of passing the bar exam.<\/p>\n
\u201cGraduates of our accredited law schools passed the bar exam at a rate that is three times greater than graduates of schools that are not accredited by the council,\u201d Thies said.<\/p>\n
But as Texas drops the ABA accreditation requirement, giving the Texas Supreme Court oversight of law schools, concerns are brewing for future law school graduates who want to practice in other states.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the school that they attended is not considered an ABA accredited school, and the state they move to is requiring a student to have attended an ABA accredited school in order to sit for the bar exam, then that could present a problem,\u201d Boortz said.<\/p>\n