(The Center Square) – The Texas Supreme Court has ruled that law schools in the state will no longer be required to obtain accreditation from the American Bar Association.
During a ruling on Jan. 6, the court stated its approval alone is sufficient for law school accreditation.
In an earlier opinion issued during its review of the issue, the justices explained their reasoning more directly, stating their preliminary view that the ABA “should no longer have the final say on whether a law school’s graduates are eligible to sit for the Texas bar exam and become licensed to practice law in Texas.”
The decision comes amid broader concerns raised by the Trump administration regarding the bar association’s objectivity.
In February 2025, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that the organization “[h]as subjected law faculties and law students to unlawful race and sex discrimination under the guise of ‘diversity’ mandates” by forcing schools to ensure staff and students are diverse in gender, race and ethnicity.
“That requirement blatantly violates our nation’s civil rights laws,” Bondi’s letter stated.
Accreditation organizations for higher education have been criticized for requiring institutions to adhere to diversity, equity and inclusion frameworks as a condition for recognition.
Amid these threats of federal action by the Trump administration, many accreditors have reportedly scaled back these requirements.
“The Council’s status as the sole accrediting body of American law schools is a privilege, and mandatory diversity objectives are an abuse of that privilege, which is subject to revocation,” Bondi wrote. “Even if it does not come to that, it is unclear how state bars can lawfully continue to require prospective lawyers to attend ABA-accredited law schools if the Council continues to abuse its privilege in this way.”
In its order, the Texas Supreme Court emphasized that it seeks to ensure continuity and fairness for law schools.
“[T]he Court advised that it intends to provide stability, certainty, and flexibility to currently approved law schools by guaranteeing ongoing approval to schools that satisfy a set of simple, objective, and ideologically neutral criteria using metrics no more onerous than those currently required by the ABA,” the court order stated.
The Center Square reached out to the ABA for comment, but did not receive a response.
