Melissa, Texas — The Texas Attorney General’s Office announced Wednesday that it has launched an antitrust inquiry regarding the American Bar Association, seeking to determine whether national law school accreditation policies unfairly inflate legal education expenses and suppress institutional competition across the state.
State investigators served a Civil Investigative Demand on the national legal organization, demanding records concerning operating mandates, faculty pay benchmarks, and school admissions standards. The inquiry follows an earlier determination by the state's highest civil court that eliminated the organization's exclusive accreditation authority over state law schools, establishing alternative paths for prospective attorneys seeking admission to the Texas bar.
> "There must be competition and a fair playing field when it comes to law school accreditation, or else we risk inflated costs for students, unfair restrictions, and illegal discriminatory practices." — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
Federal authorities have recognized the legal group as the primary accreditor for law schools since 1952. State officials contend that rigid accreditation guidelines have historically excluded novel, lower-cost training models while imposing substantial financial obligations on law students and academic institutions. Alongside the civil demand, state legal representatives submitted formal testimony regarding accreditation requirements to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity within the federal education department.
