Red States Challenge ABA's Law School Monopoly

0:00It's March 23rd. This is Birmingham News today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. The push is on for red states like Alabama to drop the American Bar Association as the sole creditor for law schools whose graduates can take the. Stay bar exam. The ABA has held this monopoly since 1952, leading to skyrocketing tuition from around $7,500 a year in. 1985 to nearly $60,000 now at private schools. Meanwhile, the ABA faces criticism for its past exclusion of minorities for about 65 years and current heavy focus on diversity rules that. Some call ideological overreach rather than true quality control. Critics say the ABA protects high standards and that states supreme courts lack the expertise to a credit schools themselves, but reformers argue courts have always controlled bar admissions and already approve some non-ABA programs without issue.

1:00Texas and Florida recently ended their exclusive reliance on the ABA after four decades automatically grandfathering and existing schools while allowing alternatives from other recognized accreditors. Ohio and Tennessee are now reviewing the same change. This move restores state authority, invites competition to cut costs, and prioritizes practical legal training over one group's rules.