The Lone Star State is tired of the ABA dunking on their low bar passage rates and wants their Supreme Court to be the final arbiter of who gets to be a lawyer. Kind of the thing you’d expect from a state with a history of independence and secession efforts. Reuters has coverage:
The Supreme Court of Texas said in an order on Friday that it “is of the tentative opinion that the ABA should no longer have the final say” on whether a law school’s alumni can sit for the Texas Bar or be licensed. The court itself would determine which law schools are “approved” under the state’s lawyer admissions rules, according to the preliminary order.
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The Texas Supreme Court did not provide details on how any new law school approval system would function but asked the public to submit comments on the proposal by December 1, with anticipated changes taking effect January 1.
Can knowing how to work a smoker be part of the approval system? Lawyers are getting a bad rap right now, but this could be the change we need. If being served notice with a side of brisket with a mean smoke ring doesn’t make our adversarial system a little kinder, nothing will. At the very least, I’d prefer a slab to a mariachi band.
On a more serious note: things might not change much at the “take the bar, get a passing grade and go practice level,” but should courts really be in the business of evaluating law school efficacy? It is fashionable for Trump-heavy states to give the finger to the ABA right now — lingering attention to DEI efforts and the Association’s outspoken interest in the rule of law are enough for people to complain about the group’s “political engagement” — but is the answer really to have Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock be the one to determine if Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law is up to par? Seems like a lot of effort just for the sake of owning the libs.
In the meantime, the public is invited to submit comments on the proposed changes up to December 1st. Best of luck to whatever direction Texas ultimately goes with.
Texas Plans To End ABA’s Role In State’s Law School Oversight [Reuters]
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
The post Texas Plans To Cut Law School Accreditation Ties With The ABA appeared first on Above the Law.
The Lone Star State is tired of the ABA dunking on their low bar passage rates and wants their Supreme Court to be the final arbiter of who gets to be a lawyer. Kind of the thing you’d expect from a state with a history of independence and secession efforts. Reuters has coverage:
The Supreme Court of Texas said in an order on Friday that it “is of the tentative opinion that the ABA should no longer have the final say” on whether a law school’s alumni can sit for the Texas Bar or be licensed. The court itself would determine which law schools are “approved” under the state’s lawyer admissions rules, according to the preliminary order.
…
The Texas Supreme Court did not provide details on how any new law school approval system would function but asked the public to submit comments on the proposal by December 1, with anticipated changes taking effect January 1.
Can knowing how to work a smoker be part of the approval system? Lawyers are getting a bad rap right now, but this could be the change we need. If being served notice with a side of brisket with a mean smoke ring doesn’t make our adversarial system a little kinder, nothing will. At the very least, I’d prefer a slab to a mariachi band.
On a more serious note: things might not change much at the “take the bar, get a passing grade and go practice level,” but should courts really be in the business of evaluating law school efficacy? It is fashionable for Trump-heavy states to give the finger to the ABA right now — lingering attention to DEI efforts and the Association’s outspoken interest in the rule of law are enough for people to complain about the group’s “political engagement” — but is the answer really to have Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock be the one to determine if Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law is up to par? Seems like a lot of effort just for the sake of owning the libs.
In the meantime, the public is invited to submit comments on the proposed changes up to December 1st. Best of luck to whatever direction Texas ultimately goes with.
Texas Plans To End ABA’s Role In State’s Law School Oversight [Reuters]
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s . He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who is learning to swim, is interested in critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
