Far-left legal 'cartel' in the hot seat as Trump admin decides its law school gatekeeper status

The American Bar Association's authority to accredit U.S. law schools is now in the hands of the Trump administration after a federal advisory panel deadlocked 8-8 on whether to revoke it. The tie on the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity leaves Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent to decide, with up to 90 days to rule on whether the ABA keeps oversight of roughly 200 law schools. A Department of Education spokesperson said staff had already recommended stripping the ABA of that role, citing noncompliance with more than 26 recognition criteria, according to Fox News.

NACIQI Chairman Jay Greene said every member of the panel, however they voted, agreed on a core problem: the ABA's accrediting body is not properly separated from the association as a whole, conflicting with federal requirements that accreditors remain independent of trade groups. The split, he said, came down to whether members believed the ABA was capable of and willing to correct that structural issue.

The ABA disputed characterizations of persistent noncompliance. Melissa Hart, who chairs its Accreditation Council, said the Education Department has continuously recognized the council since 1952 and that it has passed every regular review for 74 straight years, describing the ABA as a reliable authority for accrediting J.D. programs.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox News’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox News →