September 1, 2026
Hon. Melissa Hart
Council Chair
Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
American Bar Association
1050 Connecticut Ave. N.W.
Suite 400 Washington, D.C. 20036
Submitted via email
RE: Proposed Revisions to American Bar Association Standard 206
Dear Hon. Hart:
On behalf of the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and over 55 civil rights, human rights, law, and other organizations, we urge you to oppose the proposed repeal of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Standard 206, which requires law schools, as a condition of accreditation, to take concrete actions demonstrating a commitment to diversity and inclusion for students and faculty. That directive remains both lawful and necessary. Black students and other students of color are underrepresented in law schools and the legal profession, face financial barriers in affording an increasingly costly legal education, and persevere through hostile environments on campus.Women also continue to experience harassment on campus and barriers in the profession. While the Trump administration has baselessly attacked institutions of higher education, law organizations, and others for advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, courts have blocked the administration’s efforts to mandate its reckless misinterpretations of federal civil rights laws. Nor does the forthcoming U.S. Department of Education (ED) accreditation rulemaking prohibit the type of lawful actions Standard 206 encourages.4 To maintain broader faith in the legal system as a system that can do justice, the ABA must remain steadfast in encouraging lawful efforts by law schools to affirmatively support equal opportunity for all. At the upcoming September 8, 2026 meeting of the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, the ABA should maintain Standard 206 and signal its support for building inclusive law school communities that help provide equal access to the legal profession.
