Following similar moves from Florida and Texas, Ohio reconsiders ABA accreditation
Last week, the Ohio Supreme Court created an advisory committee to review the accreditation process for law schools there. It follows similar actions from Florida and Texas.
Ohio has nine ABA-accredited law schools.
The state supreme court’s review follows the Trump administration’s executive order criticizing university accreditors, including the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, for a variety of issues, including diversity, equity and inclusion standards.
“Federal recognition will not be provided to accreditors engaging in unlawful discrimination in violation of Federal law,” the April 23 executive order states.
The council has suspended Standard 206, focused on DEI, until Aug. 31, 2026. A separate and independent entity from the ABA, it is recognized by the Department of Education as the sole accrediting body for U.S. law schools.
The Ohio Supreme Court committee includes the deans of the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and the Akron School of Law at the University of Akron, as well as the CEO of the Ohio State Bar Association, a state senator and a state representative, according to a press release.
“The court’s responsibility to uphold the integrity and efficacy of the profession means constant reflection, research, and openness to innovation,” said Robert W. Horner III, administrative director of the state supreme court and the committee chairman, in the press release.
“National accreditation for law schools is essential to ensuring portable law degrees, which benefits law students and graduates, state courts, and the profession,” said Jennifer Rosato Perea, managing director for accreditation and legal education at the ABA, in a statement. “The council looks forward to engaging further with the court and the committee to consider how we can work together to improve excellence and innovation in legal education through the accreditation process.”
In March, Florida formed a working group to consider if a JD from an ABA accredited law school would continue to be a bar exam requirement.
Meanwhile, the Texas Supreme Court requested comments about ending its requirement to an ABA-accredited law school before admission to the bar.
That generated 392 pages of responses, including one signed by eight Texas law school deans along with the leaders of several law school associations strongly opposed changing the requirement. It states that removing ABA accreditation would hurt graduates’ chances of getting jobs outside of the state, lower law school employment rates and harm their reputations.
See also:
Deans, law school associations oppose Texas proposal to end ABA accreditation
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