American Bar Association votes to stop enforcing DEI standard for law schools

The council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar voted to pause its current standard, known as Rule 206, until Aug. 31 while it reviews a proposed revision to the rule, according to the ABA Journal. The vote took place at the council's quarterly meeting in San Antonio Friday.

The council's standards committee said it would assess the proposed changes in light of recent actions by the Trump administration to ensure it can enforce the standard in compliance with the law.

Daniel Thies, chair-elect of the council and co-chair of its Strategic Review Committee, said the move to suspend the standard was necessary.

"The committee's view is that with the executive orders and the law being in flux, it would be an extreme hardship for law schools if our standards were to require them to do certain things that may cause them to take more litigation risks and potentially violate the law," Thies said, according to the ABA Journal. 

Members of the council's managing director's office will visit law schools this spring and provide written guidance, the ABA Journal reported. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the decision as a "victory for common sense."

"Yesterday, the American Bar Association voted to suspend enforcement of Rule 206 - a DEI requirement for the student bodies and faculties of law schools," Bondi wrote on X.

"This is a victory for common sense! We are bringing meritocracy back to the legal system."

The Trump administration is on a mission to gut all programs and initiatives associated with DEI within the federal government, arguing it has lowered standards and promoted a woke agenda. In his first week back in office, Trump signed an executive order ending DEI offices and initiatives across the federal workforce. 

He followed those up with two executive orders banning "radical gender ideology" and DEI initiatives from all branches of the U.S. military.

Reuters contributed to this report.