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{{Short description|American association of lawyers}}
{{Distinguish|American Bar Foundation|Association of American Law Schools}}
{{Redirect|Ankerwycke|the ancient yew tree|Ankerwycke Yew}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                     = American Bar Association
| image                    = American Bar Association logo.svg
| image_border             = 
| size                     = 205px
| map                      = 
| msize                    = 
| mcaption                 = 
| motto                    = 
| founded_date             = {{Start date and age|1878|08|21}}
| type                     = [[Bar association]]
| headquarters             = [[321 North Clark|321 North Clark St]]<br />[[Chicago]], Illinois, U.S.
| membership               = 
| language                 = 
| leader_title             = President
| leader_name              = Michelle Behnke
| leader_title2            = Executive director & [[Chief Operating Officer|COO]]
| leader_name2             = Alpha M. Brady
| num_staff                = 
| budget                   = 
| website                  = {{url|https://americanbar.org}}
}}
The '''American Bar Association''' ('''ABA''') is a [[voluntary association|voluntary]] national [[bar association]] of [[lawyer]]s and law students in the United States, and not specific to any single jurisdiction. Founded in 1878,<ref>[http://www.abanet.org/about/history.html ABA History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071027093641/http://www.abanet.org/about/history.html |date=2007-10-27 }}; For a historical overview see Matzko, John A., "'The Best Men of the Bar': The Founding of the American Bar Association," in ''The New High Priests: Lawyers in Post-Civil War America'', Gerard W. Gawalt (ed.), (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1984), pp. 75-96.</ref> the ABA's stated activities are the setting of academic standards for [[law school]]s, and the formulation of model ethical codes related to the legal profession. As of fiscal year 2017, the ABA had 194,000 dues-paying members, constituting approximately 24.4% of American attorneys.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legalmosaic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/ABA-Story.pdf|title=ABA Decline: Why Are Fewer Lawyers Joining The Club?|first=Aebra|last=Coe|website=Law360|date=July 24, 2018}}</ref> In 1979, half of all lawyers in the U.S. were members of the ABA.<ref name=bloomberg/> In 2016, about one third of the 1.3 million practicing lawyers in the U.S. were included in the ABA membership of 400,000,<ref>{{cite web|last1=Meese III|first1=Edwin|last2=Shackelford|first2=Kelly J. |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/aug/17/how-the-lawyers-plan-to-stifle-speech-and-faith/|url-status=live|title=Free speech and faith will be stifled by American Bar Association|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007091055/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/aug/17/how-the-lawyers-plan-to-stifle-speech-and-faith/|archive-date=October 7, 2024|website=The Washington Times|date=August 17, 2016|access-date=October 2, 2024}}</ref> with figures largely unchanged in 2024;<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sloan|first1=Karen|url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/bar-exam-alternatives-gain-american-bar-association-backing-2024-05-17/|title=Bar exam alternatives gain American Bar Association backing|website=Reuters|date=May 17, 2024|access-date=October 2, 2024}}</ref> Included are "about 150,000 paying members" for 2024–2025, according to ''Reuters''.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/law-firms-should-let-attorneys-unplug-with-billable-hour-credit-aba-proposal-2024-08-01/ "Law firms should let attorneys unplug with billable hour credit, ABA proposal says"] ''Reuters'', August 1, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2025.</ref><ref name=Reuters6-25/>

The organization's national [[headquarters]] are in [[Chicago]], Illinois, with a branch office in [[Washington, D.C.]]. The association is affiliated with the law, legal, and professional research sponsoring organization the [[American Bar Foundation]].

{{Legal education in the United States}}

==History==
[[File:American Bar Association 3c 1953 issue U.S. stamp.jpg|thumb|right|U.S. postage stamp commemorating the ABA's 75th anniversary in 1953]]
The ABA was founded on August 21, 1878, in [[Saratoga Springs, New York]], by 75 lawyers from 20 states and the District of Columbia. According to the ABA website:

{{blockquote|The legal profession as we know it today barely existed at that time. Lawyers were generally sole practitioners who trained under a system of apprenticeship. There was no national code of ethics; there was no national organization to serve as a forum for discussion of the increasingly intricate issues involved in legal practice.}}

The purpose of the original organization, as set forth in its first constitution, was "the advancement of the science of jurisprudence, the promotion of the administration of justice and a uniformity of legislation throughout the country...."<ref>{{cite book |last1=de Sousa |first1=Luís |last2=Hindess |first2=Barry |last3=Larmour |first3=Peter |title=Governments, NGOs and Anti-Corruption: The New Integrity Warriors |date=2012 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781134035458 |page=54}}</ref>

In 1918, the first women were admitted to the ABA – Judge [[Mary Belle Grossman]] of Cleveland and [[Mary Florence Lathrop]] of Denver.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nywba.org/history2/ |title=History |url-status=live|website = New York Women's Bar Association |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180522002757/https://www.nywba.org/history2/ |archive-date=22 May 2018 }}</ref>

Prior to 1943, the ABA did not knowingly admit any African-American members and its discrimination led to the formation in 1937 of the [[National Lawyers Guild]]. The ABA denied admittance to [[Francis E. Rivers]] in 1943 and several prominent members threatened to quit as a result<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/04/09/archives/quit-bar-association-charging-race-bias-judge-goldstein-and-ag-hays.html|title=QUIT BAR ASSOCIATION, CHARGING RACE BIAS; Judge Goldstein and A.G. Hays Protest Exclusion of Negro (Published 1943)|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 9, 1943}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/1943/04/11/archive/judge-jonah-goldstein-quits-bar-association-because-it-bars-negro-from-membership|title=Judge Jonah Goldstein Quits Bar Association Because It Bars Negro from Membership|date=April 11, 1943|access-date=January 17, 2021|archive-date=March 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311053513/https://www.jta.org/1943/04/11/archive/judge-jonah-goldstein-quits-bar-association-because-it-bars-negro-from-membership|url-status=live}}</ref> and the organization was finally integrated.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/09/06/paulette-brown-become-first-african-american-woman-head-american-bar-association/dFc460FXfVoONC0AAcAWWJ/story.html|last1=Johnston|first1=Katie|title=Paulette Brown to become first African-American woman to head the American Bar Association|work=The Boston Globe|access-date=June 21, 2017|archive-date=February 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180227192329/https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/09/06/paulette-brown-become-first-african-american-woman-head-american-bar-association/dFc460FXfVoONC0AAcAWWJ/story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ABA appointed [[Jill Wine-Banks]] as its first woman executive director, who served from 1987 to 1990.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/31/us/law-bar-high-bar-official-draws-fire-over-dismissals-flamboyance-dalmatians.html "At the Bar; High bar official draws fire over dismissals, flamboyance and Dalmatians"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203190217/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/31/us/law-bar-high-bar-official-draws-fire-over-dismissals-flamboyance-dalmatians.html |date=February 3, 2022 }} David Margolick, [[The New York Times]], March 31, 1989. Retrieved February 3, 2022.</ref> [[Roberta Cooper Ramo]] was the first female president of the ABA from 1995 to 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wisc-amh.org/symposia/view/2-risk-reinvention-how-women-are-changing-the-world|title=Risk & Reinvention: How Women Are Changing the World — August 15-16, 2014 |website= Women's International Study Center |url-status = usurped |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20140801170917/http://wisc-amh.org/symposia/view/2-risk-reinvention-how-women-are-changing-the-world|archive-date = 1 August 2014}}</ref>

In 2016 ABA introduced a new ethics rule prohibiting attorneys from using [[sexist]], [[racist]] and condescending terms.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/life/lifestyle/honeys-finally-barred-from-courtroom-aba-move-long-overdue/|title='Honeys' finally barred from courtroom; ABA move long overdue|date=16 August 2016|website=The Seattle Times|author-first1=Nicole|author-last1=Brodeur}}</ref> The rule also prohibits attorneys from engaging in discrimination based on age in the conduct of bar association activities.<ref name="americanbar.org">{{Cite web |title=REVISED 109 RESOLUTION |url=https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/images/abanews/2016%20Annual%20Resolutions/109.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171221131117/https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/images/abanews/2016%20Annual%20Resolutions/109.pdf |archive-date=December 21, 2017 |website=American Bar Association}}</ref>

On May 1, 2019, the ABA launched a new membership model aimed at reversing declining membership and revenue.<ref name=bloomberg>{{Cite web|date=1 May 2019|url=http://biglawbusiness.com/abas-new-membership-model-logo-go-into-effect|title=New ABA Membership Strategy Aims to Reverse Slide (1)|last=Stanzione|first=Melissa Heelan|website=biglawbusiness.com|language=en|access-date=May 3, 2019|archive-date=May 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503203212/https://biglawbusiness.com/abas-new-membership-model-logo-go-into-effect|url-status=live}}</ref> As mentioned in "Criticisms", below, and despite ABA's own rule against age-discriminatory conduct, the "experience-based" component of the ABA dues structure is a proxy for age discrimination, imposing significantly higher dues on lawyers as their years in practice increase.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web|url=https://www.americanbar.org/membership/dues_eligibility/|title=Dues & Eligibility|website=ABA|access-date=August 7, 2019|archive-date=August 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807233233/https://www.americanbar.org/membership/dues_eligibility/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===2025 federal lawsuit and member targeting by the Trump administration===
{{main|Targeting of law firms and lawyers under the second Trump administration}}
In 2025, the ABA, as well as some members of the organization, became targets of the [[Second presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]]. On February 11, with tens of millions of dollars in its [[USAID]] and [[U.S. State Department]] funding frozen<ref name=Monnay/> by [[Executive Order 14169]], issued on Trump's first day following re-election,<ref name=Weiss/> the ABA and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit which asserts that the administration's actions were arbitrary and a capricious violation of the [[Administrative Procedure Act]].<ref name=Monnay>Monnay, Tatyana [https://news.bloomberglaw.com/business-and-practice/trump-attacks-on-aba-threaten-groups-funding-and-membership "Trump Attacks on ABA Threaten Group's Funding and Membership"] ''[[Bloomberg Law]]'', March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.</ref> The case, ''Global Health Council v. Trump,'' was filed in the [[United States District Court for the District of Columbia|U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia]] and assigned to Judge [[Amir Ali (judge)|Amir Ali]]. Two days later he issued a temporary [[restraining order]], allowing some foreign assistance programs to resume.<ref name=Weiss>Cassens Weiss, Debra [https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/ruling-in-aba-lawsuit-federal-judge-blocks-pause-on-foreign-aid-but-does-not-order-trump-himself-to-act "Ruling in ABA lawsuit, federal judge blocks pause on foreign aid but does not order Trump to act"] American Bar Association, February 28, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.</ref>

On February 14, [[Federal Trade Commission]] chair [[Andrew N. Ferguson]] ordered his roster of political appointees not to renew memberships in the ABA, hold any ABA position, or attend any ABA events.<ref>Blackman, Josh [https://reason.com/volokh/2025/02/14/ftc-bans-political-appointees-from-being-aba-members/ "FTC Bans Political Appointees From Being ABA Members"] ''[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]'', March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2025.</ref><ref name=Schmidt>Schmidt, Michael S. [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/12/us/politics/trump-law-firms-perkins-coie.html "Trump’s Revenge on Law Firms Seen as Undermining Justice System"] ''The New York Times'', March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2025.</ref>

Following a February 25, 2025, memo revoking security clearances for the law firm that had assisted [[Special Counsel]] [[Jack Smith (lawyer)|Jack Smith]] by the president, on February 28, [[Attorney General]] [[Pam Bondi]] sent a letter to the ABA saying that the diversity requirements of Standard 206 of the Standards of Rules and Procedure for Approval of Law Schools conflicts with Chief Justice [[John Roberts]]' 2023 decision that affirmative action in college admissions is unconstitutional under the [[Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment]], in ''[[Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard]]'',<ref name=Bondi/><ref>[https://www.politico.com/news/2023/06/29/supreme-court-ends-affirmative-action-in-college-admissions-00104179 "Supreme Court guts affirmative action in college admissions"] ''[[Politico]]'', June 29, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2025.</ref> and violates civil law,<ref name=Bondi>[https://www.justice.gov/ag/media/1392081/dl?inline "Letter from Attorney General Bondi to the American Bar Association's Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, February 28, 2025"] [[U.S. Department of Justice]], February 28, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2025.</ref><ref name=Schmidt/> while threatening to rescind ABA accreditation authority of U.S. law schools.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-justice-dept-bars-its-attorneys-participating-american-bar-association-events-2025-04-09/ "US Justice Dept bars its attorneys from participating in American Bar Association events"] ''Reuters'', April 9, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.</ref>

The ABA released a statement on March 3, 2025, encouraging members to challenge Trump's actions that it perceives to undermine the courts and the legal profession, with more than 50 smaller bar associations joining the call for solidarity.<ref>Cassen Weiss, Debra [https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/aba-and-more-than-50-bar-associations-condemn-government-actions-that-seek-to-twist-the-scales-of-justice "ABA, more than 50 bar associations condemn 'government actions that seek to twist the scales of justice'"] ABA Journal, March 3, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.</ref><ref>[https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/03/aba-rejects-efforts-to-undermine-courts-and-legal-profession/ "The ABA rejects efforts to undermine the courts and the legal profession"] American Bar Association, March 3, 2025. Retrieved April 10, 2025.</ref> While the ABA strongly condemned the Trump administration's actions;<ref>Martínez, A., Milton Guevara, Ally Schweitzer [https://www.npr.org/2025/03/11/nx-s1-5317656/american-bar-association-trump-administration-attacks-judges-lawyers "American Bar Association president speaks out against attacks on judges and lawyers"] [[NPR]], March 11, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.</ref> on March 25, ''[[Reuters]]'' reported that "President Donald Trump expanded his attacks on major U.S. law firms" in issuing his fourth executive order targeting a law firm in two months.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-signs-executive-order-against-law-firm-jenner-block-2025-03-25/ "Trump targets Jenner & Block in latest executive order aimed at law firms"] ''Reuters'', March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 30, 2025.</ref>

On June 16, 2025, [[Susman Godfrey]], an EO-targeted firm that subsequently prevailed in court,<ref name=Reuters6-25>Scarcella, Mike [https://www.reuters.com/world/us/american-bar-association-sues-block-trumps-attacks-law-firms-2025-06-16/ "American Bar Association sues to block Trump's attacks on law firms"] ''Reuters'', June 16, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.</ref> filed a lawsuit on behalf of the ABA alleging that executive orders issued against law firms, and other actions, reflect a "law firm intimidation policy" of the Trump administration, which aims "to intimidate and coerce law firms and lawyers to refrain from challenging the President or his Administration in court, or from even speaking publicly in support of policies or causes that the President does not like."<ref>Barrett, Devlin [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/us/american-bar-association-sues-trump-administration.html "American Bar Association Sues Trump Administration"] ''The New York Times'', June 16, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.</ref> The ABA issued a statement, in which President Bay said, "There has never been a more urgent time for the ABA to defend its members, our profession and the rule of law itself".<ref name=Reuters6-25/> On August 11, 2025, the ABA adopted a resolution in opposition to White House efforts designed to punish "lawyers, law firms, or other organizations for representing or having represented any particular client or cause disfavored by the government."<ref>Scarcella, Mike; Sloan, Karen [https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/american-bar-association-adopts-resolution-against-trumps-law-firm-crackdown-2025-08-11/  American Bar Association adopts resolution against Trump's law firm crackdown"] ''Reuters'', August 11, 2025. Retrieved August 30, 2025</ref>

==Leadership and governance==
The ABA adopts "policy" (organizational positions) on certain legislative and national issues, as voted on by its elected, 589-member House of Delegates. Its board of governors, with 44 members, has the authority to act for the ABA, consistent with previous action of the House of Delegates, when the House is not in session.

The ABA president, elected to a one-year term, is chief executive officer of the association, while the appointed, longer-serving executive director works as chief operating officer. The conclusion of the ABA annual meeting, in August, is when a new president takes office, as well as when the main sessions of the House of Delegates take place. The annual meeting also gives the general membership the opportunity to participate in educational programs and hear speakers address many issues.<ref>Fitzpatrick, Thomas M., editor. ''American Bar Association Centennial—A Century of Service'', page 8 (American Bar Association, 1979)</ref>

In 2010, [[Jack L. Rives]], formerly TJAG (The Judge Advocate General of the Air Force), was appointed executive director and [[chief operating officer]] (COO).<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/meet_the_abas_new_executive_director_jack_l_rives/ |title=Meet the ABA's New Executive Director, Jack L. Rives |magazine=ABA Journal |date=April 22, 2010 |first=Martha |last=Neil |access-date=March 8, 2017 |archive-date=March 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312032445/http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/meet_the_abas_new_executive_director_jack_l_rives/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.abanow.org/2010/04/aba-names-jack-l-rives-new-executive-director/ |title= ABA Names Jack L. Rives New Executive Director |publisher= ABA Media Relations & Communication Services |date= April 22, 2010 |access-date= March 8, 2017 |archive-date= July 23, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130723160746/http://www.abanow.org/2010/04/aba-names-jack-l-rives-new-executive-director/ |url-status= dead }}</ref> Alpha M. Brady<ref>[https://www.americanbar.org/groups/leadership/aba_officers/brady-alpha Alpha M. Brady] ABA.</ref> was named ABA Executive Director/COO after Rives' retirement in March 2023. She joined the ABA staff in 1988 and rose through the ranks at the association before being named deputy executive director in 2022.{{cn|date=August 2025}}

== Accreditation of U.S. law schools since 1923 ==
The [[United States Department of Education]] recognises the Council of the ABA Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar as a professional [[Higher education accreditation in the United States|accrediting agency]] for law schools in the U.S.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg7.html#law|title=Accreditation in the United States|date=October 12, 2021|access-date=May 23, 2019|archive-date=April 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427221010/https://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg7.html#law|url-status=live}}</ref> American law schools that are accredited by the council are termed "approved" by the ABA, which indicates the law school was found to be in compliance with ABA accreditation standards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources/aba_approved_law_schools/by_year_approved.html |title=ABA-Approved Law Schools by Year |work=ABA website |access-date=April 1, 2011 |archive-date=October 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020180951/http://www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources/aba_approved_law_schools/by_year_approved.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

ABA accreditation is important not only because it affects the recognition of the law schools involved, but it also affects a graduate's ability to practice law in a particular state. Specifically, in most U.S. jurisdictions, graduation from an ABA-accredited law school is  prerequisite towards being allowed to sit for that state's bar exam, and even for existing lawyers to be admitted to the bar of another state upon motion.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.princetonreview.com/law-school-advice/law-school-accreditation|title=ABA-Accredited Law School {{!}} The Princeton Review|website=www.princetonreview.com|language=en|access-date=2019-05-23}}</ref> Even states which recognize unaccredited schools within their borders will generally not recognize such schools from other jurisdictions for purposes of bar admission.<ref name=witz7>See, e.g., [http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/TSC/RULES/TNRulesOfCourt/06supct1_9.htm#7 Supreme Court Rule 7] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807074709/http://www.tsc.state.tn.us/OPINIONS/TSC/RULES/TNRulesOfCourt/06supct1_9.htm#7 |date=August 7, 2007 }} (Tennessee), [http://calbar.ca.gov/calbar/pdfs/rules/Rules_Title4_Div1-Adm-Prac-Law.pdf Rules Regarding Admission to Practice Law] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071025150902/http://calbar.ca.gov/calbar/pdfs/rules/Rules_Title4_Div1-Adm-Prac-Law.pdf |date=October 25, 2007 }} (California).</ref>

For law students attending ABA-accredited schools, memberships are available for free.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanbar.org/abalawstudents|title=Why Join?|work=ABA for Law Students|access-date=April 10, 2015|archive-date=February 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202204347/https://www.americanbar.org/abalawstudents|url-status=live}}</ref>  Students attending non-ABA accredited law schools are permitted to join the ABA as associate members.<ref>{{cite web |title=ABA Membership FAQ |url=https://www.americanbar.org/membership/faq/ |website=American Bar Association |access-date=June 15, 2019 |archive-date=July 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190704190858/https://www.americanbar.org/membership/faq/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In November 2022, the ABA Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar Council voted to eliminate its accreditation requirement that law schools in the United States require prospective students submit results on the [[Law School Admission Test|LSAT]] or an alternative [[Validity (statistics)|valid]] and [[Reliability (statistics)|reliable]] [[Standardized test|standardized]] admissions test (while continuing to permit law schools to require them of their own accord).<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mulvaney|first1=Erin|date=November 18, 2022|title=Law School Accrediting Panel Votes to Make LSAT Optional|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|publisher=[[News Corp]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/law-school-accrediting-panel-to-consider-making-lsat-optional-11668778730|access-date=November 18, 2022|archive-date=November 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118134316/https://www.wsj.com/articles/law-school-accrediting-panel-to-consider-making-lsat-optional-11668778730|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Paul|first1=Deanna|date=May 20, 2022|title=No LSAT Required? Law Schools Admissions Tests Could Be Optional Under New Proposal|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|publisher=[[News Corp]]|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-the-lsat-required-fate-of-test-for-law-school-admissions-to-be-decided-11653048001|access-date=November 18, 2022}}</ref> The ABA’s House of Delegates rejected that proposal in 2023 over concerns it would make admissions offices more dependent on subjective measures such as the prestige of an applicant’s college, potentially putting minority applicants at a disadvantage.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news |last=Sloan |first=Karen |date=November 11, 2024 |title=No LSAT to get into law school? ABA opens door to bypass standardized test |url=https://www.reuters.com/default/no-lsat-get-into-law-school-aba-opens-door-bypass-standardized-test-2024-11-11/ |url-status=live |access-date=November 18, 2024 |work=Reuters |archive-date=November 20, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241120142509/https://www.reuters.com/default/no-lsat-get-into-law-school-aba-opens-door-bypass-standardized-test-2024-11-11/ }}</ref>

In 2024, the council created a new variance process by which individual law schools may apply for permission to bypass the existing admission test requirement. This new process does not require approval from the House of Delegates as it is not part of accreditation standards.<ref name=":9" />

=== Accreditation process criticisms ===
The ABA accreditation process has been widely criticized for failing to ensure that law schools are disclosing accurate post-graduate statistics which may mislead students regarding the post-graduate job market, especially in light of ever-growing student loan debt.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lawschooltransparency.com/blog/2011/03/breaking-senator-boxer/|title=Breaking: Senator Boxer Calls on ABA to Ensure Accurate and Transparent Reporting by Law Schools|date=2011-03-31|website=LST Blog|language=en-US|access-date=May 23, 2019|archive-date=May 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523170513/https://www.lawschooltransparency.com/blog/2011/03/breaking-senator-boxer/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/senators_seek_detailed_stats_on_law_school_placement_bar_passage_and_studen|title=Senators Seek Decade of Detailed Law School Placement, Bar Passage and Student Debt Data|last=Hansen|first=Mark|website=ABA Journal|language=en|date=14 October 2011|access-date=May 23, 2019|archive-date=May 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523170543/http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/senators_seek_detailed_stats_on_law_school_placement_bar_passage_and_studen|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-asks-about-potential-bait-and-switch-students-aba-accredited-law-schools|title=Grassley asks about potential bait and switch of students at ABA-accredited law schools and subsequent risk for taxpayers |website= www.grassley.senate.gov |language=en|date = 11 July 2011}}</ref>&nbsp;There are heated debates over requirements placed on law schools by the ABA. Many states and practitioners believe ABA requirements to be unnecessary, costly, outdated and lacking innovation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.law.com/jsp/law/careercenter/lawArticleCareerCenter.jsp?id=1202427181507 |title=Suggestions for Law School Makeovers Include Radical Changes – Daily Business Review|author=Susan BeckContactAll Articles|date=January 5, 2009|website=Law.com|access-date=February 19, 2012}}</ref> Some legal professionals and academics{{Who|date=January 2018}} feel these requirements promote the rising cost of tuition. The collision of attorney layoffs in 2009,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lawshucks.com/layoff-tracker/|title=Layoff Tracker|website=Lawshucks.com|access-date=February 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225083820/http://lawshucks.com/layoff-tracker/|archive-date=February 25, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123595619998905733|title=Laid-Off Lawyers and Other Professionals|last=Penn|first=Mark|date=March 2, 2009|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=August 3, 2017|archive-date=November 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171125133237/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123595619998905733|url-status=live}}</ref> the glut of fresh non-top-tier law graduates without work,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123741745678277765|title=Best Defense? Seeking a Haven in Law School|last=Koppel|first=Nathan|date=March 19, 2009|work=The Wall Street Journal|access-date=August 3, 2017|archive-date=June 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170615183455/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB123741745678277765|url-status=live}}</ref> and the continued expansion of law schools<ref>{{cite web|url=http://abajournal.com/news/up_to_10_new_law_schools_planned_how_many_are_too_many/|title=Up to 10 New Law Schools Planned; How Many Are Too Many? - News|date=June 3, 2008|work=ABA Journal|access-date=February 19, 2012|archive-date=March 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303224508/http://abajournal.com/news/up_to_10_new_law_schools_planned_how_many_are_too_many|url-status=live}}</ref> raised questions on whether the ABA has been too lenient in its accreditation process.

A non-profit organization, [[Law School Transparency]], called upon the ABA to provide meaningful statistics regarding the employment prospects and salary information of graduates of ABA accredited institutions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.abajournal.com/legalrebels/article/kyle_mcentee_scourge_of_the_status_quo|title=Kyle McEntee Challenges Law Schools to Come Clean|last=Journal|first=A. B. A.|website=ABA Journal|language=en|access-date=2019-05-23|archive-date=May 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523170522/http://www.abajournal.com/legalrebels/article/kyle_mcentee_scourge_of_the_status_quo|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2011 and 2012, the ABA updated its accreditation process to include penalties and possible loss of accreditation for schools that misrepresented their graduates' employment data, as well as, greatly expanded the information required from accredited laws schools regarding student bar-passage rates and post-graduate employment.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Yellen|first=David|date=December 2012|title=Advancing Transparency in Law School Employment Data: The ABA's New Standard 509|url=http://www.ncbex.org/assets/media_files/Bar-Examiner/articles/2012/810412beAbridged.pdf|journal=The Bar Examiner|volume=81|pages=6–13|access-date=May 23, 2019|archive-date=December 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212004808/http://www.ncbex.org/assets/media_files/Bar-Examiner/articles/2012/810412beAbridged.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/legal_education_and_admissions_to_the_bar/governancedocuments/2013_explanation_of_new_standard_509_revised_2012.pdf|title=New ABA Standard 509|access-date=May 23, 2019|archive-date=May 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523170513/https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/legal_education_and_admissions_to_the_bar/governancedocuments/2013_explanation_of_new_standard_509_revised_2012.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite the ongoing controversy surrounding law school accreditation standards and inability of law school graduates to effectively service their educational debt, the ABA continued to approve new law schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jdjournal.com/2011/12/12/the-john-marshall-law-school-launches-new-law-school-in-savannah/ |title=The John Marshall Law School Launches New Law School in Savannah |publisher=JD Journal |date=2011-12-12 |access-date=2012-02-19 |archive-date=April 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120410051649/http://www.jdjournal.com/2011/12/12/the-john-marshall-law-school-launches-new-law-school-in-savannah/ |url-status=live }} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/898449746 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/895375589 cite #22 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref>

Since 2014, the ABA has required law schools to disclose more information about their applicants and graduates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/changes_for_law_schools_breeze_in_accreditation_standards_get_update_after|title=Law school accreditation standards get update after 6 years of effort|last=Journal|first=A. B. A.|website=ABA Journal|language=en|access-date=2019-05-23|archive-date=May 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523170522/http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/changes_for_law_schools_breeze_in_accreditation_standards_get_update_after|url-status=live}}</ref> Required information now includes such information as admissions data, tuition and fees, living costs, conditional scholarships, enrollment data, numbers of full-time and part-time faculty, class sizes for first-year and upper-class courses, employment outcomes and bar passage data.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/legal_education_and_admissions_to_the_bar/governancedocuments/2016_standard_509_guidance_memo_final.pdf|title=Managing Director's Guidance Memo Standard 509|access-date=May 23, 2019|archive-date=May 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523170514/https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/legal_education_and_admissions_to_the_bar/governancedocuments/2016_standard_509_guidance_memo_final.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> The 205 ABA-approved law schools reported that, 10 months after graduation, 28,029 graduates of the class of 2015, or 70 percent, were employed in long-term, full-time positions where bar passage is required or a J.D. is preferred.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/legal_education_and_admissions_to_the_bar/reports/2015_law_graduate_employment_data.pdf|title=2015 ABA-Approved Law School Graduate Employment Data|access-date=May 23, 2019|archive-date=May 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523170514/https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/legal_education_and_admissions_to_the_bar/reports/2015_law_graduate_employment_data.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2019, the ABA Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar changed the requirement for graduate bar passage rates.<ref name="azcentral.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2019/05/21/law-schools-tougher-american-bar-association-sanctions-graduates-fail-bar-exam-asu-school-law/3745028002/|title=Law schools will face tougher sanctions if too many graduates fail bar exam|website=azcentral|language=en|access-date=2019-05-23|archive-date=January 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118152657/https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2019/05/21/law-schools-tougher-american-bar-association-sanctions-graduates-fail-bar-exam-asu-school-law/3745028002/|url-status=live}}</ref> Previously, to remain accredited, schools had to have a 75% bar passage rate for students within 5 years of graduation, with various ways to meet this standard and no law schools having ever been found in violation of the rule.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/council-of-legal-ed-adopts-tighter-bar-pass-standard-and-clock-for-compliance-starts-now|title=ABA legal ed section's council adopts tighter bar pass standard; clock for compliance starts now|last=Journal|first=A. B. A.|website=ABA Journal|language=en|access-date=2019-05-23|archive-date=May 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522024544/http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/council-of-legal-ed-adopts-tighter-bar-pass-standard-and-clock-for-compliance-starts-now|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2019/01/24/law-schools-may-face-tougher-sanctions-if-too-many-graduates-fail-bar-exam/2665591002/|title=Law schools where too many graduates fail the bar exam may face tougher sanctions|website=www.usatoday.com|date=January 24, 2019|language=en|access-date=2019-05-23|archive-date=June 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610220447/https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/2019/01/24/law-schools-may-face-tougher-sanctions-if-too-many-graduates-fail-bar-exam/2665591002/|url-status=live}}</ref> The new rule requires the 75% bar passage rate be achieved within 2 years with no exceptions.&nbsp; The change was passed by the Section despite failing a vote in the ABA House of Delegates twice.<ref name=":0" /> Proponents of the change say the increased standard will ensure students are better prepared for passing the bar and for legal practice in general with less students acquiring large student debt without reasonable job opportunities. Opponents claim this will adversely affect diversity in law schools, which will be forced to increase their admissions standards and required LSAT scores, which in turn will disproportionately affect minority applicants.<ref name="azcentral.com"/> Under the new plan, 14 schools will be at risk of losing their accreditation if their bar-passage rates do not improve within two years. At the time of the rule change, three law schools were currently in the process of closing, and another school was under probation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefacultylounge.org/2019/04/ultimate-bar-passage-law-schools-at-risk.html|title=Ultimate Bar Passage: Law Schools at Risk|website=The Faculty Lounge|access-date=2019-05-24|archive-date=May 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504042805/https://www.thefacultylounge.org/2019/04/ultimate-bar-passage-law-schools-at-risk.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2019, the ABA voted to revoke the accreditation of Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/education/american-bar-association-votes-to-strip-thomas-jefferson-law-school-of-accreditation/|title=American Bar Association Votes to Strip Thomas Jefferson Law School of Accreditation|date=2019-06-11|website=Voice of San Diego|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-13|archive-date=June 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611122123/https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/education/american-bar-association-votes-to-strip-thomas-jefferson-law-school-of-accreditation/|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Antitrust consent decree and contempt fine===
In 1995 the United States Department of Justice accused the ABA of violating Section 1 of the [[Sherman Act]] in its law school accreditation proceedings. The case was resolved with a [[consent decree]].<ref name=decree>United States v. American Bar Association, U.S. District Court (D.C.), [http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/f1000/1034.htm text of decree.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531133301/http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/f1000/1034.htm |date=May 31, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/press_releases/1995/0257.htm |title=Justice Department and American Bar Association Resolve Charges That the ABA's Process for Accrediting Law Schools was Misused |website=Usdoj.gov |date=1995-06-27 |access-date=2012-02-19 |archive-date=October 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004212716/http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/press_releases/1995/0257.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2006, the ABA acknowledged that it violated the consent decree and paid DOJ a $185,000 fine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/public/press_releases/2006/216804.htm |title=Justice Department Asks Court to Hold American Bar Association in Civil Contempt - ABA Acknowledges Consent Decree Violations and Agrees to Pay $185,000 |website=Usdoj.gov |date=2006-06-23 |access-date=2012-02-19 |archive-date=October 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004212737/http://www.justice.gov/atr/public/press_releases/2006/216804.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Russell Frisby.jpg|thumb|280px|Russell Frisby, 2008–2009 Chair of the ABA's Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice section, at a [[Rappaport Center for Law and Public Service|Rappaport Center]] roundtable]]

== Publications ==
The ABA Publishing division of the Association publishes a variety of law education and practice resources and monthly magazine, as well as memoirs and works of legal history and fiction under its Ankerwycke imprint,<ref>Petersen, Britt [https://www.washingtonian.com/2015/11/03/why-do-so-many-washington-dc-lawyers-write-fiction/ "Why Do So Many Washington Lawyers Write Fiction?"] ''Washingtonian'', November 3, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2024.</ref> which launched in 2014.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/08/books/david-lats-supreme-ambitions-is-a-thriller-for-lawyers.html | work=The New York Times |accessdate = September 23, 2015| date= December 7, 2014| title= Pleasing the Court with Intrigue | first=  Alexandra | last= Alter}}</ref>

===''ABA Journal''===
{{Main|ABA Journal}}
The association publishes a monthly print and digital magazine<ref>O'Brien, John [https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/changes-coming-to-the-aba-journal-website "Changes coming to the ABA Journal website"] ABA, April 24, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2024.</ref> circulated to all members, the ''[[ABA Journal]]'' (since 1984, formerly ''American Bar Association Journal'', 1915–1983).

===Sections, divisions and forums===
ABA members may also join practice setting or subject-specific "sections", "divisions", or "forums", and each entity publishes a variety of newsletters and magazines for its members (such as ''[[Law Practice Magazine]]'' published by the Law Practice Division; [[GPSolo Magazine]] published by the Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division and
''Probate and Property Magazine'' published by the Real Property, Trust and Estate Law)
). Some of these magazines, such as the Business Law Section's "Business Law Today", are available on-line to non-members. The first such journal was the ''[[Annual Bulletin (CLB)|Annual Bulletin]]'' of the [[Comparative Law Bureau]], the first [[comparative law]] journal in the U.S. (1908–1914). The entities also hold their own meetings, such as the annual Solo Day.<ref>Annual Report of the American Bar Association 2007</ref>

Each entity typically has a publication program that includes (1) books, usually oriented toward practitioners; (2) scholarly journals, such as ''[[Administrative Law Review]]'' (published by the ABA Section of Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice and The American University [[Washington College of Law]]) and ''[[The International Lawyer]]'' (published by the ABA Section of International Law and [[Southern Methodist University|SMU]] [[Dedman School of Law]]); (3) newsletters, such as The International Law News (published by the ABA Section of International Law); (4) e-publications, such as a monthly message from the section chair, or updates on substantive law developments; and (5) committee publications, such as a committee newsletter published by one of the substantive law committees.
{{Further|National Property Law Digests}}

== Commissions ==
The ABA's Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity was established in 2007.<ref name="associationsnow.com">{{cite web|url=http://associationsnow.com/2014/08/aba-says-lgbt-discrimination-violates-human-rights/|title=ABA Says LGBT Discrimination Violates Human Rights|work=Associations Now|date=August 21, 2014|access-date=August 22, 2014|archive-date=September 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140919205745/http://associationsnow.com/2014/08/aba-says-lgbt-discrimination-violates-human-rights/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ABA's Criminal Justice Section, specifically the Corrections Committee, focuses on the United States Criminal Justice System and its surrounding laws, policies, and structure. The Corrections Committee "is pushing to provide greater assistance ... for those reentering society" from prison by pushing law schools and state bar associations to provide opportunities for law students to represent prisoners reentering society.<ref>{{cite web |date=2018 |title=Pushing Pro Bono for the Incarcerated and Those Reentering Society |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3216623 |access-date=18 December 2018 |website=poseidon01.ssrn.com |ssrn=3216623 |format=PDF}}</ref>

In 2017, the ABA's Commission on Women in the Profession released "A Current Glance at Women in the Law",<ref name="Current Glance">{{cite web|url=https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/marketing/women/current_glance_statistics_january2017.authcheckdam.pdf|title=A Current Glance at Women in the Law|website=The American Bar Association|date=January 2017|access-date=January 19, 2018|archive-date=January 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119182012/https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/marketing/women/current_glance_statistics_january2017.authcheckdam.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=January 2018 |title=A Current Glance at Women in the Law by American Bar Association - Commission on Women in the Profession |url=https://www.pbi.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/10569_a-current-glance-at-women-in-the-law-jan-2018-(1).pdf |access-date=October 23, 2023 |website=Pennsylvania Bar Institute |archive-date=March 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327033801/https://www.pbi.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/10569_a-current-glance-at-women-in-the-law-jan-2018-(1).pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> providing research about the status of women in the American legal profession.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Webb|first1=Paul D.|title=ABA Resolution 113: Why Your Law Firm Needs to Diversify|journal=The National Law Review|date=June 19, 2017|url=https://www.natlawreview.com/article/aba-resolution-113-why-your-law-firm-needs-to-diversify|access-date=July 9, 2017|publisher=Jaffe Associates|archive-date=June 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626114755/http://www.natlawreview.com/article/aba-resolution-113-why-your-law-firm-needs-to-diversify|url-status=live}}</ref> The report showed a 6 percent increase in women attorneys over the last decade, with women currently making up 36 percent of the legal profession. [[Law schools]] award 47.3 percent of J.D.s to women, which has been consistent for the past 10 years. In private practice [[law firms]], women make up less than 22 percent of partners, a 4.2 percent increase over the last 10 years. In the last decade, there has been a significant growth rate of women in the role of [[general counsel]] in [[Fortune 500]] companies, but still women only represent 24.8 percent of Fortune 500 general counsels.<ref name="Current Glance"/> Since 2003, the Commission on Women in the Profession also supported quantitative and qualitative [https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/women/visibleinvisibility.pdf research] (conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago researcher Mandy Sha) on the experiences of Hispanic, African-American, Native American, and Asian American women in the legal profession and produced a toolkit in 2014 to assist bar associations, law firms, and corporations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Women of Color Research Initiative |url=https://www.americanbar.org/groups/diversity/women/initiatives_awards/women_of_color_research_initiative/ |access-date=October 23, 2023 |website=ABA Commission on Women in the Profession |archive-date=February 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203202248/https://www.americanbar.org/groups/diversity/women/initiatives_awards/women_of_color_research_initiative/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Positions on social and legal issues==
===Policies on LGBT people===
In 2011, the ABA's House of Delegates passed an anti-bullying resolution that included [[sexual orientation]] and gender identity among characteristics that should be protected, along with race, religion, national origin, sex, and disability.<ref name="associationsnow.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/american-bar-association-adopts-inclusive-anti-bullying-resolution |title=American Bar Association Adopts Inclusive Anti-Bullying Resolution &#124; Human Rights Campaign |access-date=2014-08-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821004224/http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/american-bar-association-adopts-inclusive-anti-bullying-resolution |archive-date=2014-08-21 }}</ref>

At the 2013 annual meeting, the ABA's House of Delegates passed a resolution that made it harder for criminal defense lawyers to use the [[LGBT panic defense]], which argues that a crime victim's sexual orientation or gender identity should mitigate the defendant's guilt.<ref name="associationsnow.com"/> At the 2014 annual meeting, the ABA passed Resolution 114B, which stated that "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people have a human right to be free from discrimination, threats, and violence based on their LGBT status", and called on the governments of countries where such discriminatory laws exist to repeal them.<ref name="associationsnow.com"/>

===Mandatory sentencing requirements===
{{see also|Mandatory sentencing}}
A hearing in 2009 heard testimony from the ABA that "Sentencing by mandatory minimums is the antithesis of rational sentencing policy".<ref name = uscourts>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.uscourts.gov/News/TheThirdBranch/10-06-01/Sentencing_Commission_Takes_New_Look_at_Mandatory_Minimums.aspx 
 |title=Sentencing Commission Takes New Look at Mandatory Minimums 
 |date=June 2010 
 |work=Third Branch News 
 |publisher=Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011112132/http://www.uscourts.gov/News/TheThirdBranch/10-06-01/Sentencing_Commission_Takes_New_Look_at_Mandatory_Minimums.aspx 
 |archive-date=October 11, 2012 
}}</ref> In 2004 the association called for the repeal of mandatory minimum sentences, stating that "there is no need for mandatory minimum sentences in a guided sentencing system."<ref>{{cite web
 |url = http://devnew.norml.org/news/2004/06/24/federal-bill-introduced-mandating-10-years-to-life-for-pot-salesamerican-bar-association-report-blasts-mandatory-sentencing
 |title = Federal Bill Introduced Mandating 10 Years To Life For Pot Sales, American Bar Association Report Blasts Mandatory Sentencing
 |date = 24 June 2004
 |work = NORML
 |url-status = live
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190103170520/http://devnew.norml.org/news/2004/06/24/federal-bill-introduced-mandating-10-years-to-life-for-pot-salesamerican-bar-association-report-blasts-mandatory-sentencing
 |archive-date = 3 January 2019
}}</ref>

===Presidential signing statements===
In July 2006, an ABA task force under ABA president, then [[Michael S. Greco]], released a report that concluded that [[George W. Bush]]'s use of "[[signing statement]]s" violates the Constitution.<ref>Green, Elizabeth Weiss. "Signs Of A Struggle." ''U.S. News & World Report'' 141.5 (7 Aug. 2006): 30. ''Academic Search Premier.'' Web. 29 Dec. 2011.</ref> These are documents attached by the president when signing bills, in which the president expresses an opinion that newly created legal restrictions on the executive branch or president are not binding and need not be enforced or obeyed as written.<ref>{{cite journal|last =Berry|first = Michael J. |title =Controversially Executing The Law: George W. Bush And The Constitutional Signing Statement|journal =Congress & the Presidency|volume= 36|issue =3 |date= 2009|pages= 244–271|doi = 10.1080/07343460903173414|s2cid = 154741337 |url = https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Delivery.cfm/SSRN_ID1463653_code1327315.pdf?abstractid=1450725&mirid=1 }}</ref>

===Same sex marriage===
At the 2010 annual meeting, the ABA passed Resolution 111 urging every state, territorial, and tribal government to eliminate legal barriers to [[same-sex marriage|civil marriage between two persons of the same sex]] who are otherwise eligible to marry.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/aba_backs_marriage_equality_for_gays_and_lesbians/|title=ABA Backs Marriage Equality for Gays and Lesbians|magazine=[[ABA Journal]]|date=2010-08-10|access-date=2012-08-16}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Resolution 111|url=http://www.abajournal.com/files/RResolution_111.pdf|publisher=American Bar Association|access-date=16 August 2012|archive-date=May 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160523201336/http://www.abajournal.com/files/RResolution_111.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Rating of judicial nominees== 
In 1948, the ABA began to participate in the federal judicial nomination process by informally submitting its own independent committee evaluations to the [[United States Senate]]. In 1953, the ABA's Committee on the Federal Judiciary was formed;<ref name=":1"/> it began rating Supreme Court nominees, according to a compendium of the ratings, by vetting nominees and giving them a rating (ranging from "not qualified" to "well qualified"), in 1956.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Han |first=L. C. |date=2017 |title=American Bar Association (ABA) {{!}} Encyclopedia of American Government and Civics - Credo Reference |url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/fofgac/american_bar_association_aba/0 |access-date=2023-07-22 |website=search.credoreference.com |edition=2nd |archive-date=July 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230722200903/https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/fofgac/american_bar_association_aba/0 |url-status=live }}</ref> though, "the committee altered its ratings categories, making comparisons across time difficult."<ref>Epstein, Lee et al. ''The Supreme Court Compendium: Data, Decisions & Developments'', page 390 (Fourth Edition, CQ Press, 2007)</ref>

The committee consists of two members from the ninth judicial circuit, one member from each of the other federal judicial circuits and the chair of the committee. The ABA's board of governors, House of Delegates and officers are not involved with the work of the committee, and it is completely insulated from the rest of the ABA's activities, including its policies. Although the committee rates prospective nominees, it does not propose, recommend or endorse candidates for nomination to the federal judiciary, as that would compromise its independent evaluative function.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/federal_judicary/2024-backgrounder.pdf|title=STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKS|date=2017|access-date=June 14, 2019|archive-date=July 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718233803/https://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrative/federal_judicary/2024-backgrounder.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

The committee works in strictly-enforced confidentiality, typically evaluating around 60 nominees per year. Nominees are rated as "well qualified", "qualified" or "not qualified". If the president selects a prospective nominee, the committee chair notifies the White House, the Department of Justice, the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the nominee of the committee's rating.<ref name=":1" />

There are several procedural differences between the committee's investigations of Supreme Court nominees and those of lower courts, notably that investigations of Supreme Court nominees are conducted after the president has submitted a nomination. Also, there is added scrutiny with Supreme Court nominees, such as teams of law professors examining the legal writings of the prospective justice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.law360.com/articles/92105/obama-asks-aba-to-evaluate-federal-judiciary-picks|title=Obama Asks ABA To Evaluate Federal Judiciary Picks|website=Law360|access-date=2016-09-16|archive-date=September 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917090412/http://www.law360.com/articles/92105/obama-asks-aba-to-evaluate-federal-judiciary-picks|url-status=live|last1=Zeveloff|first1=Julie}}</ref>

The process has been alleged by some (including the [[Federalist Society]]) to have a [[american liberalism|liberal]] bias.<ref>{{cite web|last=Batkins|first=Sam|title=ABA Retains Little Objectivity in Nomination Process|publisher=Center for Individual Freedom|date=2004-08-12|url=http://www.cfif.org/htdocs/legislative_issues/federal_issues/hot_issues_in_congress/confirmation_watch/aba_little_objectivity.htm|access-date=2006-08-20|archive-date=May 14, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060514015957/http://www.cfif.org/htdocs/legislative_issues/federal_issues/hot_issues_in_congress/confirmation_watch/aba_little_objectivity.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Lindgren|first=James|title=Yes, the ABA Rankings Are Biased|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|date=2001-08-06|url=http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=95000927|access-date=2006-08-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907052245/http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=95000927|archive-date=7 September 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=ABA Ratings of Judicial Nominees|work=ABA Watch|publisher=[[Federalist Society]]|date=July 1996|url= http://www.fed-soc.org/abaw8969.htm|access-date=2006-08-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010710135604/http://www.fed-soc.org/abaw8969.htm|archive-date=2001-07-10}}</ref> For example, the ABA gave [[Ronald Reagan]]'s judicial nominees [[Richard Posner]] and [[Frank H. Easterbrook]] low "qualified/not qualified" ratings; later, the ABA gave [[Bill Clinton]] judicial nominees with similar resumes "well qualified" ratings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://johnrlott.tripod.com/op-eds/NYTimesABARankings012506.html|title=John Lott's website|website=Johnrlott.tripod.com|date=2006-01-25|access-date=2012-02-19|archive-date=July 30, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070730213309/http://johnrlott.tripod.com/op-eds/NYTimesABARankings012506.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2001, the [[George W. Bush]] administration announced that it would cease submitting names to the ABA in advance of judicial nominations.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/03/23/bush-curtails-aba-role-in-selecting-us-judges/ebfe106c-344d-40a0-8dff-ccf0a2e411fe/|title=Bush Curtails ABA Role in Selecting U.S. Judges|last=Goldstein|first=Amy|date=March 23, 2001|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=June 14, 2019|archive-date=December 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227143430/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2001/03/23/bush-curtails-aba-role-in-selecting-us-judges/ebfe106c-344d-40a0-8dff-ccf0a2e411fe/|url-status=live}}</ref> The ABA continued to rate nominees, just not before the names were released publicly. During the Obama administration, the ABA was once again given advance notice of judicial nominees for rating. President Trump returned to George W. Bush's policy of not giving the ABA advanced notice of judicial nominees.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/nov/27/cynthia-nance-bias-colors-trump-judicial-nominees-/|title=Cynthia Nance bias colors Trump judicial nominees' ABA ratings, Republicans say|publisher=[[The Washington Times]]|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-14|archive-date=May 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527102311/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/nov/27/cynthia-nance-bias-colors-trump-judicial-nominees-/|url-status=live}}</ref> Seven of George W. Bush's nominees received a 'not qualified' ranking, four of Clinton's nominees, zero of Obama's nominees, and, through December 2018, six of Trump's nominees were rated 'not qualified'.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/trump-picks-more-not-qualified-judges-1|title=Trump Picks More 'Not Qualified' Judges (1)|last=Gregory|first=Patrick L.|website=news.bloomberglaw.com|language=en|access-date=2019-06-14|archive-date=June 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190614220255/https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/trump-picks-more-not-qualified-judges-1|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/nov/15/lawmakers-clash-over-american-bar-associations-rol/|title=Lawmakers clash over American Bar Association's role in rating judges|publisher=[[The Washington Times]]|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-14|archive-date=January 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119201209/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/nov/15/lawmakers-clash-over-american-bar-associations-rol/|url-status=live}}</ref> For recent U.S. Supreme Court nominees, Chief Justice [[John Roberts|John G. Roberts Jr]]., Justice [[Samuel Alito]], Justice [[Ruth Bader Ginsburg]], Justice [[Elena Kagan]], Justice [[Neil Gorsuch]], [[Brett Kavanaugh]], [[Amy Coney Barrett]], and [[Ketanji Brown Jackson]] all received the same "well qualified" rating.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/counselforsituat0000cole|url-access=registration|title=Counsel for the Situation: Shaping the Law to Realize America's Promise|last1=Coleman|first1=William Thaddeus|last2=Bliss|first2=Donald T.|date=2010|publisher=Brookings Institution Press|isbn=9780815704881|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/counselforsituat0000cole/page/321 321], 331}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanbar.org/publications/governmental_affairs_periodicals/washingtonletter/2017/march/gorsuch.html|title=ABA rates Supreme Court nominee Gorsuch "Well Qualified" - Governmental Affairs Office|website=AmericanBar.org|access-date=January 19, 2018|archive-date=December 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201231139/https://www.americanbar.org/publications/governmental_affairs_periodicals/washingtonletter/2017/march/gorsuch.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/aba_kavanaugh_testimony|title=ABA testifies on 'well qualified' rating: Kavanaugh has 'an excellent reputation for integrity'|last=Journal|first=A. B. A.|website=ABA Journal|language=en|access-date=2019-06-14|archive-date=December 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225155005/http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/aba_kavanaugh_testimony/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2022/03/aba-committee-rates-judge-ketanji-brown-jackson-well-qualified/|title=ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary rates Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson "Well Qualified"|website=AmericanBar.org|access-date=June 3, 2024}}</ref>

In 2001 a study "found that nominees confirmed to the federal appeals courts with prior judicial experience fared about the same before the bar association whether they were nominated by the first President George Bush or President Bill Clinton. But ... 'among those without prior judicial experience, the differences were stark: 65 percent of Clinton nominees received the A.B.A.'s highest rating compared to 17 percent of Bush nominees.'"<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/us/31bar.html|title=Legal Group's Neutrality Is Challenged|last=Liptak|first=Adam|date=2009-03-30|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-06-14|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324051902/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/us/31bar.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lindgren |first=James |date=October 2001 |title=Examining the American Bar Association's Ratings of Nominees to the U.S. Courts of Appeals for Political Bias, 1989-2000 |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=290186 |website=poseidon01.ssrn.com|ssrn=290186 }}</ref> In 2012, a study was released in ''Political Research Quarterly'' showing that from 1977 to 2008 there was a distinct bias in favor of judicial candidates nominated by a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] president, with all other factors being equal.<ref name=":2" /> Candidates nominated by a Democratic president were 15 percent more likely to receive a "well qualified" ranking than a similarly qualified candidate nominated by a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] president.<ref>{{Cite journal|first1=Susan Navarro |last1=Smelcer|first2=Amy |last2=Steigerwalt|first3=Richard L. Jr. |last3=Vining|date=December 2012|title=Bias and the Bar: Evaluating the ABA Ratings of Federal Judicial Nominees|journal=Political Research Quarterly|volume=65| issue =  4|pages=827–840|jstor=41759317|doi=10.1177/1065912911421011|s2cid=158697163}}</ref> Supporters of the rating system argue that nominees rated 'not qualified' will not perform as well as judges, however, a 2010 study found "a review of tens of thousands of dispositions does not provide generally persuasive evidence that judges rated by the ABA as ''Well Qualified'' perform better."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Barondes|first=Royce de Rohan|date=2010-06-30|title=ABA Judicial Ratings as the 'Gold Standard' or Fool's Gold: Federal District Judge Ratings and Reversals|url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1632752|website=Social Science Research Network (SSRN)|language=en|location=Rochester, NY|ssrn=1632752 }}</ref>

The Standing Committee conducted evaluations on prospective nominees to the lower federal courts, on a pre-nomination basis and at the request of the [[President of the United States]], during 1953–2000 and 2009–2016.<ref name=":1" /> President George W. Bush ended its long-standing veto power over nominees in 2001, claiming a liberal bias.<ref>[https://www.cnn.com/2001/LAW/08/30/justice.aba "Administration feud with ABA flares up"] August 30, 2001. Retrieved March 26, 2025.</ref> and the ABA conducted evaluations after the president had submitted the names of nominees to the Senate, prior to any action by the Senate Judiciary Committee, during through 2008. Its veto status was restored by President [[Barack Obama]] in March 2009.<ref name=":2"/> In March 2017, the Standing Committee resumed the conducting its evaluations on a post-nomination basis.<ref name=":1" />

=== Nominee ratings during the Trump administration ===
The ABA judicial nominee rating process drew additional attention during the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|first Trump administration]]. Through June 2019, six of President Trump's nominees were rated "not qualified." Three of those were ranked unanimously not qualified, which had only occurred twice previously since the [[George H. W. Bush]] administration.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/ABA_ratings_during_the_Trump_administration|title=ABA ratings during the Trump administration|website=Ballotpedia|language=en|access-date=2019-06-25|archive-date=September 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190913203353/https://ballotpedia.org/ABA_ratings_during_the_Trump_administration|url-status=live}}</ref>&nbsp;These ratings added further fuel to conservatives' arguments of bias in the nominee rating process.<ref name=":3" /> Republicans argued that members of the Committee on the Federal Judiciary have allowed their personal liberal political leanings to influence their ratings under the category of judicial temperament.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/nov/1/american-bar-association-refers-conservatives-you-/|title=American Bar Association refers to conservatives as 'you people' when rating Trump's judicial pick|publisher=[[The Washington Times]]|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-25|archive-date=November 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101031425/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/nov/1/american-bar-association-refers-conservatives-you-/|url-status=live|first1=Alex|last1=Swoyer}}</ref>

Members of the committee were accused of asking inappropriate questions of a nominee regarding abortion and negatively referring to Republicans as "you people."<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/nov/27/cynthia-nance-bias-colors-trump-judicial-nominees-/|title=Cynthia Nance bias colors Trump judicial nominees' ABA ratings, Republicans say|publisher=[[The Washington Times]]|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-25|archive-date=May 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190527102311/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/nov/27/cynthia-nance-bias-colors-trump-judicial-nominees-/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ted Cruz|Senator Ted Cruz]] stated that the ABA is a liberal advocacy group and, as such, "should not be treated as a fair or impartial arbiter of merit."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.courthousenews.com/senate-scours-american-bar-association-liberal-bias/|title=Senate Scours American Bar Association for Liberal Bias|last=Ryan|first=Tim|date=2017-11-15|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-25|archive-date=June 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624162300/https://www.courthousenews.com/senate-scours-american-bar-association-liberal-bias/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Ben Sasse|Senator Ben Sasse]] also criticized the organization for taking liberal stances on issues then proclaiming to be neutral when evaluating judicial nominees.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/12/26/lawyers-group-fuels-republicans-ire-over-its-negative-reviews-trump-judicial-picks/974095001/|title=Lawyers' group fuels Republicans' ire over its negative reviews of Trump judicial picks|website=USA TODAY|language=en|access-date=2019-06-25|archive-date=July 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711151902/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/12/26/lawyers-group-fuels-republicans-ire-over-its-negative-reviews-trump-judicial-picks/974095001/|url-status=live|first1=Richard|last1=Wolf}}</ref> The ABA said "evaluation of these candidates does not consider the nominees' politics, their ideology or their party affiliation and has found unqualified candidates put forth by both political parties."<ref name=":5" />

In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that the Trump administration would no longer cooperate with the ABA's vetting of judicial nominees. The Justice Department said it would no longer provide the ABA special access to judicial nominees, curtailing the ABA's ability to vet new nominations made by President Trump. Attorney General [[Pam Bondi]] wrote "Unfortunately, the ABA no longer functions as a fair arbiter of nominees' qualifications, and its ratings invariably and demonstrably favor nominees put forth by Democratic administrations."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Raymond |first1=Nate |title=Justice Department curtails ABA role in vetting Trump's judicial nominees |url=https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/justice-department-curtails-aba-role-vetting-trumps-judicial-nominees-2025-05-29/ |access-date=17 June 2025 |publisher=Reuters |date=May 30, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Beitsch |first1=Rebecca |title=DOJ cutting American Bar Association access to judicial nominees |url=https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5324916-doj-american-bar-association-judicial-nominees/ |access-date=17 June 2025 |work=The Hill |date=29 May 2025}}</ref>

==Criticisms==
Throughout its history, the ABA has faced a range of criticism for different issues, including for its past stances regarding race, lack of diversity, and for policy positions. <!-- Needs a section on the accreditation criticisms -->

=== Racism and diversity ===
The ABA has been criticized for [[racism]].<ref>Shepherd, George B. "No African-American Lawyers Allowed: The Inefficient Racism of the ABA’s Accreditation of Law Schools." ''Journal of Legal Education'' 53, no. 1 (2003): 103–56. {{JSTOR|42893789}}.</ref> In 1911, [[William H. Lewis]], who was the Assistant Attorney General of the United States at that time, was initially admitted to the ABA as well as two other Black members, but executive committee rescinded these admissions in early 1912, later reporting that they had been ignorant of the applicants race and that it was a "settled practice of the association to elect only white men as members". This led to a resolution that August, in which the body of the organization chose to reinstate the memberships of those three lawyers, but require any further Black applicants to include their race on their application.<ref>{{cite news|title=Bar Association Keeps Three Negroes|newspaper=Brazil Daily Times|date=August 28, 1912|page=1}}</ref> The policy changed in 1943, but no African American lawyers joined until 1950.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=ABA Timeline |url=https://www.americanbar.org/about_the_aba/timeline/ |access-date=2023-07-23 |website=www.americanbar.org |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110041841/https://www.americanbar.org/about_the_aba/timeline/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1925, [[African-American]] lawyers formed the [[National Bar Association]] at a time when the ABA would not allow them to be members. As of 2024, the National Bar Association had about 67,000 members and 84 chapters.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalbar.org/|title=National Bar Association|website=www.nationalbar.org|access-date=October 2, 2024|archive-date=September 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930195852/https://nationalbar.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Policy positions ===
Since the 2010s, the ABA has drawn some criticism, mainly from [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]], for taking positions on controversial public policy topics, such as [[abortion]], [[Gun politics in the US|gun control]], and [[same-sex marriage]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/us/31bar.html|title=Legal Group's Neutrality Is Challenged|last=Liptak|first=Adam|date=2009-03-30|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-06-24|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=March 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324051902/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/us/31bar.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.courthousenews.com/senate-scours-american-bar-association-liberal-bias/|title=Senate Scours American Bar Association for Liberal Bias|last=Ryan|first=Tim|date=2017-11-15|language=en-US|access-date=2019-06-24|archive-date=June 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624162300/https://www.courthousenews.com/senate-scours-american-bar-association-liberal-bias/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/12/26/lawyers-group-fuels-republicans-ire-over-its-negative-reviews-trump-judicial-picks/974095001/|title=Lawyers' group fuels Republicans' ire over its negative reviews of Trump judicial picks|first=Richard|last=Wolf|website=USA TODAY|language=en|date=December 26, 2017|access-date=2019-06-24|archive-date=July 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711151902/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/12/26/lawyers-group-fuels-republicans-ire-over-its-negative-reviews-trump-judicial-picks/974095001/|url-status=live}}</ref> The ABA's official position in favor of abortion rights led to the formation of an alternative organization for lawyers in 1993, the National Lawyers for Life, now the National Lawyers Association.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nla.org/Our-History|title=Our History {{!}} National Lawyers Association|language=en-US|access-date=2022-06-29|archive-date=July 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709111850/https://www.nla.org/Our-History|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Federalist Society]] previously sponsored a twice-a-year publication called "ABA Watch" that reports on the political activities of the ABA.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fed-soc.org/publications/page/aba-watch|title=ABA Watch - The Federalist Society|website=Fed-soc.org|access-date=January 19, 2018|archive-date=September 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925230648/https://www.fed-soc.org/publications/page/aba-watch|url-status=live}}</ref>

Writing for the ''Forbes'' website, Mark A. Cohen criticized the ABA for failing to keep the practice of law in America up with the changing demands of modern society.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/markcohen1/2018/08/01/is-the-american-bar-association-passe/|title=Is the American Bar Association Passé?|last=Cohen|first=Mark A.|website=Forbes|language=en|date=August 1, 2018|access-date=2019-07-20|archive-date=July 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720203941/https://www.forbes.com/sites/markcohen1/2018/08/01/is-the-american-bar-association-passe/|url-status=live}}</ref> Cohen also criticized the ABA for opposing regulatory reform that would help increase access to affordable legal services for those in need and for engaging in protectionism when some legal services could be performed by paralegals and other non-lawyer professionals at a lower cost.<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://biglawbusiness.com/perspective-the-opposition-to-aba-law-connect-was-about-lawyer-protectionism-not-public-good|title=Perspective: The Opposition to ABA Law Connect Was About Lawyer Protectionism, Not Public Good|last=Cohen|first=Mark|website=biglawbusiness.com|language=en|access-date=2019-07-20|archive-date=July 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720204005/https://biglawbusiness.com/perspective-the-opposition-to-aba-law-connect-was-about-lawyer-protectionism-not-public-good|url-status=live}}</ref> Eighty percent of Americans cannot afford legal services and the ABA has failed to embrace alternative legal delivery methods that could address this problem.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://biglawbusiness.com/rocket-lawyer-ceo-on-the-quick-demise-of-aba-pilot-program|title=Rocket Lawyer CEO On the Quick Demise of ABA Pilot Program|last=Bay|first=Monica|website=biglawbusiness.com|language=en|access-date=2019-07-20|archive-date=July 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720203953/https://biglawbusiness.com/rocket-lawyer-ceo-on-the-quick-demise-of-aba-pilot-program|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ABA also failed to address rules that prohibit some online legal referral websites when it updated the Model Rules regarding Communication Concerning a Lawyer's Services.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legalethicsinmotion.com/2018/10/advertising-2-0-the-aba-revises-attorney-advertising-rules/|title=Advertising 2.0? The ABA Revises Attorney Advertising Rules|last=Stallings|first=Ten|date=2018-10-22|website=Legal Ethics in Motion|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-20|archive-date=July 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720203945/http://www.legalethicsinmotion.com/2018/10/advertising-2-0-the-aba-revises-attorney-advertising-rules/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thelawforlawyerstoday.com/2018/02/3754/|title=ABA proposes changes to lawyer ad rules; but referral-fee issue as to Avvo and others remains open|first=Karen|last= Rubin|date=2018-02-01|website=The Law for Lawyers Today|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-20}}</ref>

== Recent ABA presidents ==
{{Main|List of Presidents of the American Bar Association}}
* 2003–2004: [[Dennis Archer|Dennis W. Archer]] (first African-American male president)
* 2004–2005: [[Robert J. Grey Jr.]]
* 2005–2006: [[Michael S. Greco]] (first foreign-born president)
* 2006–2007: [[Karen J. Mathis]]
* 2007–2008: [[William H. Neukom]]
* 2008–2009: H. Thomas Wells Jr.
* 2009–2010: [[Carolyn B. Lamm]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abanet.org/media/lammbio.html |title=Carolyn B. Lamm |website=Abanet.org |access-date=February 19, 2012 |archive-date=July 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721233239/http://www.abanet.org/media/lammbio.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* 2010-2011: [[Stephen N. Zack]] (first Hispanic American president)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abanet.org/media/zackbio.html |title=Stephen N. Zack |website=Abanet.org |access-date=February 19, 2012 |archive-date=September 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903153759/http://www.abanet.org/media/zackbio.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* 2011–2012: Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abanow.org/reporter-resources/officer-bios/william-t-robinson-biography/ |title=Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III |website=Abanow.org |date=2011-08-08 |access-date=February 19, 2012 |archive-date=January 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121015918/http://www.abanow.org/reporter-resources/officer-bios/william-t-robinson-biography/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* 2012–2013: [[Laurel G. Bellows]]
* 2013–2014: James R. Silkenat<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.abanow.org/2013/08/new-aba-president-james-r-silkenat-pledges-work-on-access-to-justice-and-legal-jobs/|title=ABA News|website=Abanow.org|access-date=August 27, 2013|archive-date=August 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130816050150/http://www.abanow.org/2013/08/new-aba-president-james-r-silkenat-pledges-work-on-access-to-justice-and-legal-jobs/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 2014–2015: [[William C. Hubbard]]
* 2015–2016: [[Paulette Brown]] (first African-American female president)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/committees/diversity-inclusion/articles/2017/winter2017-0217-paulette-brown-engineer-for-justice/|title=Paulette Brown: The Engineer for Justice – The first African-American female president of the ABA on 'the long arc of history.'|first=Andre' B.|last=Caldwell|website=ABA|date=February 15, 2017|access-date=March 28, 2021|archive-date=May 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513162819/https://www.americanbar.org/groups/litigation/committees/diversity-inclusion/articles/2017/winter2017-0217-paulette-brown-engineer-for-justice/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* 2016–2017: [[Linda Klein (lawyer)|Linda Klein]]
* 2017–2018: Hilarie Bass
* 2018–2019: Bob Carlson
* 2019–2020: Judy Perry Martinez
* 2020–2021: Patricia Lee Refo
* 2021–2022: Reginald M. Turner
* 2022–2023: Deborah Enix-Ross
* 2023–2024: [[Mary L. Smith]]
* 2024–2025: William R. Bay

== Annual meeting ==
Each August, the ABA holds an annual meeting in different cities that consists of speeches, CLE classes, gatherings, and the ABA Expo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanbar.org/calendar/annual.html|title=ABA Annual Meeting|website=Americanbar.org|access-date=February 7, 2013|archive-date=April 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130412000503/http://www.americanbar.org/calendar/annual.html|url-status=live}}</ref> At the meeting, the recipient of the association's highest honor, the [[American Bar Association Medal]], is announced.

==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Law}}
* [[ABA digital signature guidelines]]
* [[American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct|ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct]]
* [[American Constitution Society]]
* [[Association of American Law Schools]]
* [[Attorney at law (United States)]]
* [[Bar Association]]
* [[Bar (law)]]
* [[Federalist Society]]
* [[Law practice]]
* [[Law practice management]]
* [[Law School Admission Council]]
* [[Union Internationale des Avocats]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* {{commons category-inline}}
* {{Official website|https://www.americanbar.org/}}
* [https://archive.org/details/ABA-FBI American Bar Association FBI Files] on the [[Internet Archive]]

{{Postsecondary Institutional Accreditors in the United States}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:American Bar Association| ]]
[[Category:American bar associations]]
[[Category:Legal organizations in Chicago]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1878]]
[[Category:School accreditors]]
[[Category:School accreditors in Chicago]]
[[Category:1878 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in Chicago]]
[[Category:Professional associations based in Chicago]]