Trump Administration Moves to Strip ABA of Law School Accreditation Authority
President Donald Trump’s administration announced it will remove the American Bar Association’s authority to accredit law schools, a U.S. Department of Education spokesperson confirmed Aug. 21.
The spokesperson said the department found the ABA out of compliance with federal accreditation regulations after reviewing its standards, a finding first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
ABA accreditation currently governs roughly 200 law schools that receive federal funding and determines graduates’ eligibility to sit for the bar exam and obtain a law license.
“After reviewing ABA’s accreditation standards, department staff found the accreditor out of compliance with the agency’s accreditation regulations and recognition standards,” the spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
The administration will not disclose details of the pending review, noting an independent bipartisan advisory committee will examine the issue in September.
This action expands Trump’s broader push to overhaul higher education, which includes a separate notice of proposed rulemaking released Aug. 19 to reshape college and university accreditation.
The notice warned that a handful of accrediting agencies have driven up costs, delayed graduation rates and forced schools to prioritize ideological agendas over student outcomes.
Education Undersecretary Nicholas Kent said in an Aug. 18 release that the antiquated system has inflated tuition, swollen administrative budgets and imposed ideology‑driven mandates that ignore workforce needs.
The department says its proposed changes will lower costs, align education with job market demands, strengthen accountability and restore public confidence in accreditation.
Melissa Hart, chair of the ABA’s Accreditation Council, told the Wall Street Journal that her organization complies with all federal laws and Department of Education requirements.
“As a national accrediting body for American law schools, we remain focused on ensuring quality legal education that produces competent, ethical attorneys who are eligible for licensure,” Hart said.
She added that council‑accredited law schools deliver unmatched outcomes and will continue accrediting institutions as the review proceeds.
Public comments on the proposed higher‑education accreditation rules are open through Sept. 21 via the federal eRulemaking portal.
