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An investigation by Defending Education has revealed that American law schools are still mandating diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) per the requirements of the only accrediting organization for law schools, the American Bar Association (ABA).
The ABA was founded by the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) in 1878 "to set the legal and ethical foundation for the American Nation." Today, the ABA exists as a membership organization "committed to its mission of defending liberty and pursuing justice" and serves as the primary accreditation organization for university law schools.
Note that the ABA and CBA are separate, independent organizations, but both organizations fully embrace diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
The ABA includes two standards in its accreditation criteria that mandate DEI policies at law schools and in degree completion requirements.
Standard 206 was suspended by the ABA through August 31, 2026, in light of Trump's Executive Orders and Dear Colleague letters and after receiving considerable backlash over DEI policies.
During its February 2025 meeting, the ABA drafted a revision to Standard 206 and considered potential changes to ensure compliance with the recent executive orders.
The revision changed the Standard name to "Access to Legal Education and the Profession" but still included a commitment to "diversity, inclusion, and access to the study of law..."
Adopted in 2022, Standard 303(c) requires law schools to “provide education to law students on bias, cross-cultural competency, and racism” at the start of their program of legal education, and at least once again before graduation.
It was the first time non-legal coursework was mandated by the ABA.
The requirement may be satisfied by orientation sessions, lectures or courses on these topics, or “other educational experiences.”
ABA adds that law students have an “obligation as future lawyers to work to eliminate racism in the legal profession.” It also states that law schools “have the discretion to choose the type of instruction” for this requirement.
DEI is so important to the ABA that it's literally written into the mission as the third of the organization's four primary goals.
Of course the ABA offers a host of DEI materials through its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Center to advance the all important Goal III.
It also has created eight different commissions and councils to further Goal III, such as the Coalition on Racial & Ethnic Justice, the Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and the ABA Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Advisory Council.
UConn is an ABA-accredited law school, and has such a strong commitment to DEI that it's literally the first thing you see on the website.
"The UConn School of Law must, like every institution, grapple with the presence of racism, bigotry and injustice in the present day, as well as its legacy from the past," writes the school. "In recent years, the law school has undertaken a more critical look at how the mistakes and misdeeds of the past have brought us to our present situation, and how the contributions of marginalized people have been overlooked."
In case there is any doubt, UConn specifically writes about Standard 303, which it says better prepares law students by fostering a "commitment to social justice" in addition to legal knowledge.
The Course Catalog includes options like "Bias, Racism, and Cross Cultural Competency" and "Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession."
The school lists a specific "Bias, Racism and Cross-Cultural Competency" requirement.
There's even an "optional" community essay as part of the application process that touches on justice, equity, and belonging.
Like UConn School of Law, Yale University's Law School is also ABA-accredited and subject to the requirement regarding Standard 303(c).
Yale emphasizes flexibility — students can satisfy the requirement through clinics, designated programs, or relevant courses rather than a standalone mandatory DEI class. Many clinics naturally incorporate these topics due to their client work.
Courses that qualify include options such as Access to Law Schoo: Seminar, Disability Law, Immigration Law and Sexuality, Gender, Health, and Human Rights.
Unlike UConn, Yale Law School's home page doesn't feature DEI -- but that doesn't mean it's not there -- it's just found elsewhere on the website, under "Community" although the URL for the "Community" page specifically says "diversity-inclusion".
Older reports on DEI at Yale can still be found on the website, but the university seems to be trying to downplay the emphasis on DEI in light of the Trump Administration's position on the matter.
You can still find plenty of DEI resources on the website, too, including from the ABA.
It's pretty much the same story for Quinnipiac's law school which is also ABA-accredited and therefore subject to Standard 303. The school embraces DEI through it's Office of Inclusive Excellence which is university-wide, and not specific to the law school. The school believes that excellence is actually "built upon equity."
Several courses address topics related to DEI, including Women in the Judiciary, Law and Gender, and Law and American National Identity -- which actually asserts that the Black Lives Matter movement is what "forced us to reckon with issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion of the American nation" in the first place.
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