AG Bondi tells ABA to drop DEI requirement

U.S. attorney general Pam Bondi directed the American Bar Association, the accrediting body for law schools since 1952, to remove diversity, equity and inclusion requirements for law schools in a letter that was shared on social media. She warned that the ABA’s authority as an accreditor could be revoked if those requirements aren’t dropped, writing, “The Department of Justice stands ready to take every action necessary to prevent further abuse.”

ABA’s accreditation standards include a requirement that law schools must “demonstrate by concrete action a commitment to diversity and inclusion,” “which includes maintain[ing] a student body and faculty that are diverse in race, gender and ethnicity.” In the letter, Bondi said that this “blatantly violates our nation’s civil rights laws” and conflicts with the Supreme Court’s ruling that affirmative action is unconstitutional, arguing that the only way colleges could pursue those goals would be with race- and sex-based admissions and hiring preferences.

The ABA had previously voted to suspend the enforcement of this requirement until August to review proposed changes. In a statement to Reuters, Jennifer Rosato Perea, the ABA’s managing director of accreditation and legal education, said that the organization would continue reviewing the standard to “ensure it adheres to the current law.”