Florida Joins Texas In Ending American Bar Association’s ‘Gatekeeper’ Grip On Law Schools
In a major step toward greater ideological freedom in the legal profession, the state of Florida ended the left-wing American Bar Association’s (ABA) dominance over its law schools on Thursday.
In its nine-page order, the Florida Supreme Court revealed that it has amended the state’s bar admissions rule “to end the rule’s reliance on the American Bar Association (ABA) as the sole accrediting agency for law schools whose graduates are eligible to sit for this state’s General Bar Examination.” (Lawyers are required to pass the bar exam to practice law in each state.)
As noted in its order, the Florida Supreme Court appointed a “workgroup to study this issue” in March 2025, with the group submitting a final report later that year in October. The Sunshine State’s high court approved the rule changes last month, culminating in the release of Thursday’s directive.
“Based on its independent study and its consideration of the workgroup’s report, the Court is persuaded that it is not in Floridians’ best interest for the ABA to be the sole gatekeeper deciding which law schools’ graduates are eligible to sit for the state’s General Bar Examination and become licensed attorneys in Florida,” the court wrote.
The Florida justices contended that the new rules “create the opportunity for additional entities to carry out an accrediting and gatekeeping function on behalf of the Court.” They further argued that in adopting such changes, the court is seeking to “promote access to high-quality, affordable legal education in law schools that are committed to the free exchange of ideas and to the principle of nondiscrimination.” (Read more from “Florida Joins Texas In Ending American Bar Association’s ‘Gatekeeper’ Grip On Law Schools” HERE)
