American Bar Association repeals its DEI policy, bends knee to Trump administration

America’s preeminent legal accreditation cartel has shelved its diversity, equity, and inclusion standards after a months-long pressure campaign by President Donald Trump’s Department of Education.

On Tuesday, the American Bar Association Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar voted 10-6 with one abstention to repeal Standard 206. The move comes just before a scheduled National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity review of the ABA’s status as a federally recognized law school accreditor.

‘Federal recognition will not be provided to accreditors engaging in unlawful discrimination in violation of Federal law.’

The ABA has maintained a strict monopoly on law school accreditations since 1952. Since the 1990s, the ABA has embraced leftist positions on everything from abortion and speech rules to DEI mandates and lawsuits against the Trump administration.

With the NACIQI review scheduled for September 23 and 24, ABA leadership signaled that the DEI repeal was now necessary for the institution’s survival.

The ABA referred Blaze News to a Tuesday statement when reached for comment.

"The council believes that national accreditation of law schools is in the best interests of law students, the legal profession, and the public, and we can best serve in this role with continued recognition by state supreme courts and the Department of Education," Council Chair Melissa Hart said in that statement. "Repealing Standard 206 was necessary to preserve recognition by a growing number of state courts as well as the [Education] Department."

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David Paul Morris/Getty Images

The repeal comes after a lengthy back-and-forth between the ABA’s various governing bodies and the Trump administration. The DEI rule itself has been suspended since February 2025.

President Trump’s April 2025 executive order “Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education” directed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to review the ABA’s status as the government’s accreditor on account of its diversity requirements.

“Federal recognition will not be provided to accreditors engaging in unlawful discrimination in violation of Federal law,” the order reads.

Republican states like Texas, Florida, and Alabama began ditching the ABA as their sole accreditor around that same time.

The ABA council first voted to repeal Standard 206 and sent the proposal to its House of Delegates in May. That vote did not repeal the standard, but set the stage for Tuesday’s final vote.

The ball is now in the government's court. The hearing later this month will determine whether the ABA’s last-minute DEI reversal will be enough to save its federal accreditor status.

The Department of Education did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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