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Bar Associations

ABA, more than 50 bar associations condemn ‘government actions that seek to twist the scales of justice’

By Debra Cassens Weiss

March 26, 2025, 9:43 am CDT

More than 50 state, local and specialty bar associations have joined with the ABA to “defend the rule of law and reject efforts to undermine the courts and the legal profession.”

A March 26 statement released by the groups does not mention President Donald Trump, but it follows his punitive attacks on disfavored law firms and calls to impeach judges he perceives as antagonistic.

“We support the right of people to advance their interests in courts of law when they have been wronged,” the statement said. “We reject the notion that the U.S. government can punish lawyers and law firms who represent certain clients or punish judges who rule certain ways. We cannot accept government actions that seek to twist the scales of justice in this manner.

“We reject efforts to undermine the courts and the profession. We will not stay silent in the face of efforts to remake the legal profession into something that rewards those who agree with the government and punishes those who do not.”

The statement calls upon “the entire profession, including lawyers in private practice from Main Street to Wall Street, as well as those in corporations and who serve in elected positions, to speak out against intimidation.”

The statement is signed by these bar associations:

  • The American Bar Association

  • The Alameda County (California) Bar Association

  • The Alexandria (Virginia) Bar Association

  • The Allegheny County Bar Association (Pennsylvania)

  • The Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers

  • The Bar Association of Erie County (New York)

  • The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis

  • The Berks County (Pennsylvania) Bar Association

  • The Boston Bar Association

  • The Boulder County (Colorado) Bar Association

  • The Chicago Bar Association

  • The Chicago Council of Lawyers

  • The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association

  • The Columbus (Ohio) Bar Association

  • The Connecticut Bar Association

  • The Contra Costa (California) County Bar Association

  • The Detroit Bar Association and Foundation

  • The Erie County (Pennsylvania) Bar Association

  • The First Judicial District Bar Association (Colorado)

  • The Hennepin County (Minnesota) Bar Association

  • The Hispanic National Bar Association

  • The Hudson County (New Jersey) Bar Association

  • The Illinois State Bar Association

  • The Kansas Bar Association

  • The Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association

  • The Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Foundation

  • The Lawyers Club of San Diego

  • The Long Beach (California) Bar Association

  • The Louisville Bar Association

  • The Maine State Bar Association

  • The Middlesex County (New Jersey) Bar Association

  • The Milwaukee Bar Association

  • The Minnesota State Bar Association

  • The Monroe County (New York) Bar Association

  • The eNassau County (New York) Bar Association

  • The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association

  • The National Association of Women Lawyers

  • The National Conference of Bar Presidents

  • The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association

  • The National Native American Bar Association

  • The New Jersey Women Lawyers Association

  • The New Mexico Black Lawyers Association

  • The New York City Bar Association

  • The New York County Lawyers Association

  • The North County (California) Bar Association

  • The board of governors of the Oregon State Bar

  • The Passaic County (New Jersey) Bar Association

  • The Philadelphia Bar Association

  • The Queens County (New York) Bar Association

  • The Ramsey County (Minnesota) Bar Association

  • The San Diego County Bar Association

  • The San Fernando Valley (California) Bar Association

  • The Santa Clara County Bar Association (California)

  • The South Asian Bar Association of North America

  • The State Bar of New Mexico

  • The Virgin Islands Bar Association

  • The board of governors of the Washington State Bar Association

  • Worcester County (Massachusetts) Bar Association

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Bar Associations

Bar associations could be targeted, Trump DEI order says, spurring response from 2 of them

By Debra Cassens Weiss

January 23, 2025, 10:55 am CST

Bar associations could be targeted for investigation under President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end “illegal preferences and discrimination” in government and the private sector.

The order issued Tuesday called for federal agencies to identify up to nine entities for possible civil compliance investigations, including large nonprofits and state and local bar associations.

The order declared that “influential institutions of American society” are using “dangerous, demeaning and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ (DEI) or ‘diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility’ (DEIA) that can violate the civil rights laws of this nation.”

Reuters has the story on the response from two state bar associations.

The State Bar of California said its programs won’t be affected because “none of our work in this space involves illegal discrimination or preferences.”

Victoria Santoro, president of the Massachusetts Bar Association, also said the state bar is not breaking the law.

“I think there are better ways our federal government could use its time than looking at bar associations,” Santoro added.

The American Bar Association is not commenting at this time, a spokesperson told the ABA Journal.

The ABA’s Goal III calls for eliminating bias and enhancing diversity by promoting full and equal participation in the association, the legal profession and the justice system. Over the last few years, these ABA diversity programs and policies have come under scrutiny:

  • The ABA section that is recognized as the accrediting group for JD programs has been wrangling with changes to its diversity standard for law schools. As currently written, Standard 206 says law schools “shall demonstrate by concrete action” a commitment to having a student body, faculty and staff who are “diverse with respect to gender, race and ethnicity.” The section decided to revise the standard following a June 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down race-conscious admissions programs at universities.

The latest proposed revision under consideration by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar requires a commitment to diversity for all people, including listed members of historically disadvantaged groups.

The wording change didn’t satisfy 21 attorneys general in Republican-controlled states, who warned that it “appears to perpetuate unlawful racial discrimination.”

  • At least nine ABA diversity programs were targeted by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty in a civil rights complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Justice in May 2024. The ABA’s general counsel, Annaliese Fleming, said at the time the ABA programs are lawful. and the allegations are “factually and legally incorrect.”

In October 2024, the ABA updated its description of one targeted program—its judicial clerkship program—because some language “did not accurately reflect the operation of the program,” Fleming said in a statement explaining the change. The program introduces law students from diverse backgrounds to judges and law clerks.

  • The ABA changed its diversity policy for continuing legal education programs that it sponsors after the Florida Supreme Court banned course credit in the state for programs with panel “quotas.” The old ABA policy had numerical requirements for diverse panelists; the new policy says CLE organizers “will invite and include” moderators and faculty members to create panels to meet Goal III objectives.

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