Ohio Advisory Committee Urged to End ABA’s Role as Law School Accrediting Body
Columbus, OH — August 23, 2025 — A growing movement is pushing Ohio’s newly formed Advisory Committee on Law School Accreditation to recommend eliminating the American Bar Association (ABA) as the accrediting body for the state’s nine law schools. Spearheaded by America First Legal (AFL) and co-counsel Ashbrooke, Byrne, Kresge, Flowers, LLC, the call to remove the ABA centers on allegations of ideological bias and discriminatory policies, particularly the ABA’s now-suspended Standard 206, which mandated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) requirements for accreditation.
The Supreme Court of Ohio established the Advisory Committee in July 2025, chaired by Administrative Director Robert W. Horner III, to review the state’s law school accreditation process. This move follows similar reviews in Florida and Texas, prompted by a Trump administration executive order criticizing the ABA’s DEI standards as violating federal anti-discrimination laws. The committee, which includes Ohio State Bar Association CEO Mary Amos Augsburger, deans of Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law and Akron School of Law, and state legislators, is tasked with evaluating accreditation standards to ensure “excellence and innovation” in legal education.
In a letter sent to the committee on August 19, 2025, AFL argued that the ABA’s Standard 206, which required law schools to demonstrate a “commitment to diversity and inclusion” regarding gender, race, and ethnicity, promotes discriminatory practices that conflict with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. This ruling deemed race-based admissions unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause. AFL cited a letter from an Ohio law school dean, obtained through litigation, which detailed efforts to meet ABA diversity mandates by offering financial incentives to minority students and prioritizing diverse faculty hiring—actions AFL claims violate anti-discrimination laws.
The ABA suspended Standard 206 until August 31, 2026, following pressure from the Trump administration and a U.S. Department of Education directive to eliminate DEI policies. However, AFL argues that the temporary suspension is insufficient, warning that a future administration could reinstate the standard. “The ABA has disqualified itself from continuing to be the gatekeeper of law school accreditation,” the group stated, urging Ohio to sever ties with the ABA entirely.
Critics of the ABA’s role, echoed in posts on X by @America1stLegal and @judicialnetwork, argue that its accreditation process imposes unnecessary costs and stifles innovation, contributing to rising tuition rates. Conversely, supporters, including the ABA’s managing director for accreditation, Jennifer Rosato Perea, emphasize that ABA accreditation ensures portable law degrees, benefiting graduates seeking employment across state lines. A response from eight Texas law school deans, cited in a similar debate, warned that removing ABA accreditation could harm graduates’ job prospects and law schools’ reputations.
Ohio’s review comes amid broader national scrutiny of the ABA, which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the sole accrediting body for U.S. law schools. Most states, including Ohio, require graduation from an ABA-accredited law school to sit for the bar exam, making accreditation critical for aspiring lawyers. The committee’s findings could influence whether Ohio follows Florida and Texas in exploring alternatives to ABA accreditation, potentially allowing state-accredited or non-accredited law schools to qualify graduates for the bar.
As the Advisory Committee begins its work, it faces a delicate balance: maintaining rigorous standards for legal education while addressing concerns about ideological overreach and regulatory burdens. The Supreme Court of Ohio has not yet received AFL’s letter, as reported on August 22, 2025, but the committee is expected to review communications between Ohio’s law schools and the ABA over the past decade. With public sentiment on X reflecting strong opinions—@lawdotcom called the push to eliminate the ABA a “bold move” on August 23—the debate underscores a pivotal moment for Ohio’s legal education landscape.
The committee’s recommendations, due later this year, could reshape how Ohio regulates its law schools and influence national conversations about accreditation reform. For now, stakeholders await the outcome of this critical review, which may redefine the path to legal practice in the state.