Congress is calling a hearing to examine whether the American Bar Association (ABA) has used its dominant role in law school accreditation to push diversity, equity and inclusion policies throughout the legal profession.Rep.Brandon Gill, R-Texas, chairman of the House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Constitutional Abuses, scheduled Wednesday’s hearing to question ABA President Michelle A.
Behnke about the organization’s influence over law school accreditation."DEI is a cancerous ideology that promotes unlawful discrimination and steals opportunities from Americans who would otherwise earn jobs and law school admissions spots on merit," Gill said in a statement."The ABA has abused its accreditation power to force harmfully racist and often illegal DEI policies and coursework in law schools across the nation."Gill added that the ABA's "promotion of DEI has created poorly trained lawyers who prioritize political activism over following the law."CALIFORNIA COUNTY APPROVES REPARATIONS PLAN AS NEIGHBORING SCHOOL DISTRICT ‘BLACK THRIVING’ EFFORT STALLSRep.
Brandon Gill, R-Texas, speaks to members of the media while arriving for a House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the U.S.Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 3, 2026. (Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)The task force has laid out the goal of exploring "how Congress can help permanently eliminate DEI policies within American institutions, including the legal profession and academy."The ABA’s accreditation system gives it considerable influence over legal education.
Its Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar is the only accreditor of Juris Doctor programs recognized by the U.S.Department of Education, and graduation from an ABA-approved law school is the standard path to taking the bar exam in most states.In the hearing, Behnke is expected to argue that the council operates independently of the broader ABA, a distincti...