Florida state court rules against bar association accreditation

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(The Center Square) – The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that law schools in the state will no longer be required to obtain accreditation from the American Bar Association.

During a ruling on Jan. 15, the court stated its approval alone is sufficient for law school accreditation.

“At present, the ABA is the sole programmatic accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education to accredit programs in legal education that lead to the first professional degree in law,” the ruling reads. “The Court acknowledges that additional programmatic accreditors for legal education programs may be recognized in the future and expresses its support for that possibility; this amendment is intended to accommodate that outcome.”

The decision comes amid broader concerns raised by the Trump administration regarding the bar association's objectivity.

In February 2025, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that the organization “[h]as subjected law faculties and law students to unlawful race and sex discrimination under the guise of ‘diversity’ mandates” by forcing schools to ensure staff and students are diverse in gender, race and ethnicity.

“That requirement blatantly violates our nation's civil rights laws,” Bondi’s letter stated. 

Earlier this month, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the ABA “should no longer have the final say on whether a law school’s graduates are eligible to sit for the Texas bar exam and become licensed to practice law in Texas.”

Jenn Rosato Perea, managing director of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar, told The Center Square in an email Thursday that the Florida Supreme Court’s Order “reinforces the authority that it has always had” over the licensure of law graduates and the law schools it recognizes as accredited. 

Perea said the order continues to recognize the ABA Council as “the sole accreditor of law schools recognized by the Department of Education,” allowing Florida law schools to continue seeking council accreditation and ensuring that graduates of all council-accredited law schools remain eligible to sit for the Florida bar examination.

Perea emphasized that the council “has dedicated itself to quality legal education for over 100 years” and said it will continue to improve its standards while promoting “the benefits of a national accreditation system” for students, employers, law schools and states.

The Center Square reached out to various Florida law schools but has yet to receive a response.