{"id":99528,"date":"2025-01-08T08:02:54","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T16:02:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/01\/08\/republicans-say-abas-diversity-revision-doesnt-go-far-enough\/"},"modified":"2025-01-08T08:02:54","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T16:02:54","slug":"republicans-say-abas-diversity-revision-doesnt-go-far-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/01\/08\/republicans-say-abas-diversity-revision-doesnt-go-far-enough\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans Say ABA\u2019s Diversity Revision Doesn\u2019t Go Far Enough"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For them, any mention of race would go too far.<br \/>\nThe post Republicans Say ABA\u2019s Diversity Revision Doesn\u2019t Go Far Enough appeared first on Above the Law.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_736523\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-736523\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-736523\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/diversity-hands-GettyImages-1193730720-300x200.jpg?resize=300%2C200&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"diversity hands\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" title=\"\"><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-736523\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pictured: A potential lawsuit<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The ABA has been struggling with diversity on several fronts. On one hand, <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2024\/02\/aba-committee-decides-to-diversify-diversity-it-should-come-with-a-clear-reason-why-thats-important\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">they\u2019re struggling to articulate the importance of diversity in a post <em>SFFA v. Harvard<\/em> world<\/a>, and trying not to set requirements that will put law schools in legal trouble on the other. Since the decision, they\u2019ve been drafting alternative calls to action that range from schools showing that they\u2019re actively not discriminating against applicants to no call at all. Whatever wording they use is suspect to a lot of prodding. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/government\/republican-state-ags-oppose-american-bar-associations-revised-diversity-rule-2025-01-07\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Reuters<\/a> has coverage:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Attorneys general from 21 Republican-controlled states have warned the American Bar Association that its law school diversity rule is unlawful.<br \/>The coalition of state lawyers on Monday sent a letter to the arm of the ABA that accredits law schools opposing both its current diversity standard and a proposed revision of that rule under consideration.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The anti-racial-diversity brigade takes issue with the notion that schools would be required to demonstrate a commitment to including groups that have been systemically excluded from the profession with \u201cconcrete action.\u201d Now that scrubbing any attempt at equity toward the disenfranchised is on the table, we get to see what moving \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/americanhistory.si.edu\/brown\/history\/6-legacy\/deliberate-speed.html#:~:text=The%20Brown%20decision%20declared%20the,the%20opportunity%20to%20organize%20resistance.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">with all deliberate speed<\/a>\u201d actually looks like.<\/p>\n<p>Given the Court\u2019s 14th Amendment jurisprudence, the law looks to be on the AGs\u2019 side. They argue that removing any reference to race would actually benefit the schools by making it less likely that they\u2019d be sued over their admissions practices. Nice claim, but is that actually true? Non-racial commitments to \u201cdiversity\u201d will still piss them off. For example, one of the lesser discussed avenues of being a diverse candidate is having served in the military. Facially, admitting a student because of their military service doesn\u2019t seem to run against the 14th Amendment. But once you factor in that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/articles\/black-americans-are-much-more-likely-to-serve-the-nation-in-military-and-civilian-roles\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Black Americans are over-represented in the military<\/a> or that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.military.com\/daily-news\/2024\/01\/10\/army-sees-sharp-decline-white-recruits.html#:~:text=In%202023%2C%20that%20number%20had,as%20white%20recruiting%20has%20fallen.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the Army is seeing a sharp decline in White recruits<\/a>, will the changing demographics of the people serving the country open up law schools to accusations of <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2023\/07\/the-slippery-slope-of-ending-affirmative-action-has-moved-on-to-its-next-target-women-and-proxies-for-diversity\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">privileging race by proxy<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/government\/republican-state-ags-oppose-american-bar-associations-revised-diversity-rule-2025-01-07\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Republican State AGs Oppose American Bar Association\u2019s Revised Diversity Rule<\/a> [ABA Journal]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Earlier:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2024\/02\/aba-committee-decides-to-diversify-diversity-it-should-come-with-a-clear-reason-why-thats-important\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ABA Committee Decides To Diversify Diversity. It Should Come With A Clear Reason For Why That\u2019s Important.<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2023\/07\/13-state-ags-band-together-to-focus-on-what-really-matters-preventing-affirmative-action\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">13 State AGs Band Together To Focus On What Really Matters \u2014 Preventing Affirmative Action<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/2023\/07\/the-slippery-slope-of-ending-affirmative-action-has-moved-on-to-its-next-target-women-and-proxies-for-diversity\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Slippery Slope Of Ending Affirmative Action Has Moved On To Its Next Target: Women And \u2018Proxies For Diversity\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-772523 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/abovethelaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Williams-150x150.jpg?resize=150%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" title=\"\">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\u2122 in the Facebook group\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo\/?fbid=10222912314148913&amp;set=p.10222912314148913&amp;opaqueCursor=AboVBPzRKh4loie1LupyI7ltSvsaUWxURlMk_338xXb_BPhzMNPHbWfVDUsOyUH1mfvHQ4Bsipef989J-V0OyqhMZzHPafTw49vttxDh_no8xymRSSUssmh47qTzHAc13R0wzk8nPhgSylnSAYcBNbHjYDqZDqy5r0f7PwzCZw9T-0cakKMIin3XI0O8R5H5OJGAu4kJjGPAoZpgL6woU9lwoHiAjxAwAlpmdlyt6vHLJ1TVn2srkC3G4qBW5ANthJ_YNT3BUPCu2vu1ZIxiqYwXGLfMIxQR4cllUaB0Cja74ln1FHs3n-xyHe6MDtxln0-F4QJchox9nCaivB_xmSxw3FduERhPebhWj1MKJ20jeucGZ64jY6DdUn2d87dVgNlFE5qHvNEtfMpoEKx1096oFfqbZ9s71YVsbXxLIsRiiW54eLp4R7z3WHAKu8v8xeLIZt86UVU1iOaSlJ0n5tT3_VonQT6n2F0sIUSLY272cI-yjWxaUIr0Qj-1NQDFFcn9dkq8pYV2-o0M3LK2Qhr9LKt-Bk4MTGUZCkb4Kw6mgDmRCux3nhJqd2hdLd8LgTA\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Law School Memes for Edgy T14s<\/a>. \u00a0He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/33296970\/Lets_Be_Frank_Parrhesia_and_the_Black_Comedic_Tradition\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor<\/a>, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#a7c4d0cecbcbcec6cad4e7c6c5c8d1c2d3cfc2cbc6d089c4c8ca\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>\u00a0and by tweet at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WritesForRent\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">@WritesForRent<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For them, any mention of race would go too far. The post Republicans Say ABA\u2019s Diversity Revision Doesn\u2019t Go Far Enough appeared first on Above the Law. Pictured: A potential lawsuit The ABA has been struggling with diversity on several fronts. On one hand, they\u2019re struggling to articulate the importance of diversity in a post [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":99529,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-above_the_law","category-legal_matters"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/xira.com\/p\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/diversity-hands-GettyImages-1193730720-46rOQ2.jpeg?fit=2121%2C1414&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99528\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}