ABA accreditation: the beginning of the end?

Alabama has now joined Texas and Florida in eliminating ABA accreditation as a requirement for admission to the bar, and Tennessee may soon follow.

Under Alabama's new rule, graduates of five law schools in Alabama are admissible to the bar, as are graduates from otheir law schools if they are admissible in the state in which the law school is located. Thus all graduates of ABA-accredited law schools are still admissible, and now so are graduates of various state-accredited and even unaccredited law schools in some states.

Meanwhile, the ABA today cravenly acceded to the federal government's demand that it revoke its rule requiring accredited law schools to demonstrate a commitment to diversity in admissions and hiring. Suddenly the spineless ABA is singing from the oppressive régime's songbook, condemning the already tame requirement as an error. The ABA has been warned, however, that its status as accreditor may still be withdrawn despite its dutiful revocation of the rule respecting diversity.

We at OTLSS have long taken the position that the ABA should lose its status as accreditor. But there seems to be no coherent strategy for replacing it. Will we end up with a free-for-all? inconsistent policies from state to state? another arbitrary accrediting body with no real standards?