Over twenty Republican attorneys general are warning the American Bar Association that its diversity and inclusion standards may violate the Constitution.
Led by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, the Republican officials sent a letter Monday to the American Bar Association, the organization that accredits law schools across the country, saying that it needed to reconsider its diversity standards in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action. The letter said that the affirmative action decision “requires significant adjustments” to the bar association standards to make sure they aren’t treating law students and faculty differently based on race.
“The rule of law cannot long survive if the organization that accredits legal education requires every American law school to ignore the Constitution and civil rights law,” Skrmetti said. “The American Bar Association has long pursued the high calling of promoting respect for the law and the integrity of the legal profession, and we call on the organization to recommit to those ideals and ensure that its standards for law schools comport with federal law.”