ABA Standard 206 Blog Symposium | Law Professors & Members of the Legal Profession

RE: Protect Standard 206 – Diversity and Inclusion in Legal Education

Dear Chair and Members of the ABA Council on Legal Education:

We write to express our strong support for retaining and strengthening ABA Standard 206.¹ Standard 206 constitutes a lawful and essential tool that mandates law schools address contemporary dynamics that perpetuate the legal profession’s historic exclusion of people of color, immigrants, and women, among others.²

In September 2024, many of us urged the ABA Council to keep Standard 206 because eliminating the rule would “create the very real risk that law schools will abandon commitments to promoting the diversity of a profession with a unique role in achieving a pluralistic democracy.”³ The past eighteen months have affirmed our concern, which grows by the day. The Trump administration and allied state governments are advancing openly segregationist agendas that “attack the mere presence of people of color in college classes, on law faculties, and in the legal profession.”⁴ Some of our most powerful institutions, including law schools and law firms, have fallen in line by voluntarily dismantling lawful measures that promote equity, diversity and inclusion.

Standard 206 requires that law schools take concrete steps to cultivate diverse and inclusive learning environments, promote equal opportunity, reduce discrimination, and prepare lawyers to competently serve all communities. Standard 206 also reinforces accreditation standards that safeguard academic freedom and the integrity of legal education.⁵ Individually and collectively, these standards offer an imperfect yet critical bulwark against escalating federal and state-level attacks on civil rights, institutional autonomy, multiracial democracy and the rule of law.⁶

Retaining Standard 206 should be an easy decision. Given the politics of the moment, repealing this standard would enable and lend credence to the racist and misogynistic rhetoric and policies that anchor the Trump administration’s assault on our communities, our institutions and our profession. Should you nonetheless choose to eliminate Standard 206, your decision will communicate that the ABA Council lacks the integrity and courage necessary to serve as our nation’s leading regulator of legal education.

For these reasons, we urge you to reject the proposed repeal and instead stand for the values our profession ought to represent.

Sincerely,⁷

1. Daniel Aaron, Associate Professor of Law, S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah
2. Jamie Abrams, Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law
3. Kathryn Abrams, Herma Hill Kay Distinguished Professor of Law, UC-Berkeley School of Law
4. Tendayi Achiume, Professor of Law, Stanford Law School
5. Atiya Aftab, Adjunct Professor, Rutgers University
6. Beena Ahmad, Associate Professor, CUNY School of Law
7. Nadia Ahmad, Professor of Law
8. Amna Akbar, Benjamin N. Berger Professor in Criminal Law, University of Minnesota Law School
9. Raquel Aldana, Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law
10. Taifha Alexander, Assistant Professor of Law, St. John’s University School of Law
11. Ben Allums, Associate Professor of Law, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
12. Margalynne Armstrong, Associate Professor, Santa Clara University School of Law
13. Charles Auffant, Clinical Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School - Newark
14. Sahar Aziz, Distinguished Professor of Law, Rutgers University Law School
15. Bridgette Baldwin, Professor of Law, Western New England University School of Law
16. LaToya Baldwin Clark, Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law
17. Alina Ball, Clinical Professor of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law
18. Greg Baltz, Assistant Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
19. Mario Barnes, Chancellor’s Professor of Law, University of California, Irvine School of Law
20. Valena Beety, Professor of Law, Indiana University Maurer School of Law
21. Kelly Behre, Director, Domestic & Sexual Violence Law Clinic, UC Davis School of Law
22. Ayesha Bell Hardaway, Professor, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
23. Steven Bender, Professor of Law, Seattle University School of Law
24. Ellen Berrey, Associate Professor, University of Toronto
25. Hon. Tracey A. Bing ret., Adjunct Law Professor and Adjunct Lecturer, CUNY School of Law/Bronx Community College
26. Beryl Blaustone, Professor of Law Emerita, CUNY school of Law
27. Alexander Boni-Saenz, Professor of Law, University of Minnesota Law School
28. Stephanie Bornstein, Professor of Law & William M. Rains Fellow, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles
29. Zsea Bowmani, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Toledo College of Law
30. Jacquelyn Bridgeman, Kepler Professor of Law, University of Wyoming
31. Chaz D. Brooks, Assistant Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law
32. Susan Brooks, Professor Emerita, Drexel University Kline School of Law
33. Karen Brown, Professor of Business Law, George Washington University
34. Matthew Bruckner, Professor, Howard University School of Law
35. Andrew Budzinski, Associate Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law
36. Scott Burris, Professor of Law, Temple University
37. Yvette Butler, Associate Professor of Law, Indiana University Mauer School of Law
38. Alejandro Camacho, Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law
39. Kristina Campbell, Professor of Law and Rita G. & Norman L. Roberts Faculty Scholar Director, Beatriz and Ed Schweitzer Border Justice Initiative, Gonzaga University School of Law
40. Esther Canty-Barnes, Clinical Prof. of Law, Rutgers Law School
41. Eduardo Capulong, Professor of Law, University of Hawai’i William S. Richardson School of Law
42. Gilbert Carrasco, Professor of Law Emeritus, Willamette University College of Law
43. Elizabeth Carter, Associate Professor of Law, Seton Hall University School of Law
44. Asima Chaudhary, Assistant Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
45. Angelica Chazaro, Associate Professor of Law, University of Washington School of Law
46. Nina Chernoff, Professor of Law, City University of New York School of Law
47. Pat Chew, Professor Emerita, University of Pittsburgh
48. Jeremiah Chin, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Washington
49. Elaine Chiu, Professor of Law, St. John’s University School of Law
50. Sumi Cho, Professor of Law (retired), DePaul University College of Law
51. Vivian Cintron, Security, Child wise ABA Therapy services
52. Tyler Rose Clemons, Assistant Professor of Law, St. John’s University
53. Jenna Cobb, Clinical Assistant Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School
54. Blanche Cook, Curt and Linda Rodin Professor of Law and Social Justice Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Member
55. Roberto Corrada, Professor of Law, University of Denver Sturm College of Law
56. Kimberle Crenshaw, Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law at Columbia Law School and Distinguished Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and, Columbia Law School and UCLA School of Law
57. Sara Cressey, Visiting Professor, Refugee and Human Rights Clinic, University of Maine School of Law
58. Patience Crowder, Professor of Law, UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law
59. Rose Cuison-Villazor, Professor of Law and Chancellor’s Social Justice Scholar, Rutgers Law School
60. Alexandra D’Italia, Associate Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School
61. Amanda David, Assistant Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
62. Christine Davik, Professor of Law, University of Maine School of Law
63. Ande Davis, Associate Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School
64. Angela Davis, Distinguished Professor of Law Emerita, American University Washington College of Law
65. Frank Deale, Professor of Law, CUNY Law School
66. Steven Dean, Professor of Law, Boston University
67. Angela Dean, Associate Professor, Southwestern Law School
68. Bonny Dean, Associate Professor, Temple University Beasley School of Law
69. Sara Denbo, Students Services Librarian, Charles B. Sears Law Library, University at Buffalo
70. Meera E. Deo, The Honorable Vaino Spencer Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School
71. Ryan Doerfler, Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
72. Jon Dubin, Distinguished Professor of Law, Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor and Paul Robeson Scholar, Rutgers University School of Law
73. Maurice Dyson, Professor of Law, Suffolk University Law School
74. Angelique EagleWoman, Professor of Law, Mitchell Hamline School of Law
75. Tariq El-Gabalawy, Deputy Public Defender, Los Angeles County Office of the Public Defender
76. Hassan Elkhalil, Attorney At Law, Elkhalil Law, P.C.
77. Sam Erman, Professor, Michigan Law School
78. Lia Epperson, Professor of Law, American University, Washington College of Law
79. Meredith Esser, Associate Professor of Law, University of Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law
80. Margareth Etienne, Professor, University of Illinois
81. Danieli Evans, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Washington School of Law
82. Gautam Hans, Clinical Professor of Law, Cornell Law School
83. Bryan Fair, Thomas E. Skinner Professor of Law and University Distinguished Teaching Professor, The University of Alabama School of Law
84. Jonathan Feingold, Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law
85. Andrew Ferguson, Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School
86. Davida Finger, Associate Dean of Clinic and Experiential Learning, Loyola New Orleans College of Law
87. Marc Fleischaker, Chair Emeritus, ArentFox Schiff
88. Robert Flores, Professor of Law (Emeritus), University of Utah
89. Akilah Folami, Law Professor, Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University
90. Richard Ford, Professor of Law, Stanford Law School
91. Thomas Frampton, Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
92. Alexi Freeman, Professor of the Practice/Associate Dean, University of Denver Sturm College of Law
93. Niels Frenzen, Sidney M. and Audrey M. Irmas Endowed Clinical Professor of Law, USC Gould School of Law
94. Jessica Frisina, Assistant Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
95. Craig Futterman, Clinical Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School
96. Todd Gallinger, Attorney & Adjunct Professor, Pathfinder Attorneys
97. David Garavito, Assistant Professor, University of Washington School of Law
98. Liliana Garces, Ken McIntyre Professor for Excellence in School Leadership, University of Texas at Austin
99. Robert Garda, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Loyola University of New Orleans College of Law
100. Charlotte Garden, Professor, University of Minnesota Law School
101. Erika George, Associate Dean Equity Justice & Engagement, Boston University School of Law
102. Sonia Gipson Rankin, Professor of Law, University of New Mexico School of Law
103. Caitlin Glass, Lecturer and Clinical Instructor, Boston University School of Law
104. Jonathan Glater, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
105. Rashmi Goel, Professor of Law, University of Denver
106. Russell Gold, Bainbridge-Mims Professor of Law, University of Alabama School of Law
107. Sally Goldfarb, Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
108. Carmen Gonzalez, Professor of Law, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
109. Veronica Gonzales, Lee & Leon Karelitz Professor in Evidence & Procedure and Professor of Law, University of New Mexico School of Law
110. Jasmine Gonzales Rose, Professor of Law, Boston University
111. Thalia González, Professor of Law & James Edgar Hervey ‘50 Chair of Litigation, UC
112. Law San Francisco
113. Ruth Gordon, Professor, emerita, Charles Widger School of Law Villanova University
114. Marsha Griggs, Professor of Law, Saint Louis University
115. Ariela Gross, Distinguished Professor of Law and History, UCLA School of Law
116. Catherine Grosso, Professor of Law, Michigan State University College of Law (Visitor at Berkeley Law)
117. Anu Gupta, Author and Educator, Be More with Anu
118. Rebecca Hamilton, Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law
119. Rebecca Hamilton, Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law
120. Ian Haney Lopez, Distinguished Professor, Emeritus, UC Berkeley
121. Ehteshamul Haque, Adjunct Associate Professor, Washington College of Law, American University
122. Vinay Harpalani, Don L. and Mabel F. Dickason Endowed Chair in Law and Professor of Law, University of New Mexico School of Law
123. Angela Harris, Distinguished Professor, Seattle University Law School
124. Jonathan Harris, Associate Professor, Temple University Beasley School of Law
125. Danielle Hart, The Honorable Arleigh M. Woods and William T. Woods Chair & Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School
126. Abi Hassen, Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, Penn. State Dickinson Law
127. Stacy Hawkins, Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
128. Tanya Hernandez, Prof of Law, Fordham Law School
129. Pilar Margarita Hernández Escontrías, Assistant Professor of Law , Seattle University School of Law
130. Ata Hindi, Assistant Professor of Law, Loyola NO Law
131. Alexis Hoag-Fordjour, David Dinkins Professor, Brooklyn Law School
132. Barbara Hoffman, Clinical Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
133. Scott Holmes, Senior Clinical Professor, Director Civil Litigation Clinic, North Carolina Central University School of Law
134. David Hoose, Attorney, Strehorn, Ryan & Hoose
135. Marina Hsieh, Senior Fellow, Emerita, Santa Clara University School of Law
136. Kip M. Hustace, Assistant Professor of Law, Seattle University School of Law
137. Darren Hutchinson, Professor, Emory University
138. Lisa Ikemoto, Professor, UC Davis School of Law
139. Areto Imoukhuede, Professor of Law, Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Law
140. Cody Jacobs, Senior Lecturer, Boston University School of Law
141. Conrad Johnson, Clinical Professor Emeritus of Law, Columbia Law School
142. Thea Johnson, Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
143. Joshua Jones, Legal Writing Professor, California Western School of Law
144. Christina Jump, Owner/Managing Attorney, Jump Start Legal Justice Center PLLC
145. Jerry Kang, Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Distinguished Professor of Law, UCLA
146. Margo Kaplan, Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
147. J.D. King, Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
148. Christopher Kirk, Reference Librarian, Arizona State University
149. Jay Knight, Associate Professor, Washburn University School of Law
150. Faisal Kutty, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School
151. Lisa Laplante, Professor of Law, New England Law Boston
152. Cynthia Lee, Edward F. Howrey Professor of Law, The George Washington University Law School
153. Jaime Lee, Professor of Law, Associate Dean for Experiential Education, University of Baltimore School of Law
154. Brant Lee, Professor of Law, University of Akron School of Law
155. Gerry Leonard, Professor of Law, Boston University
156. Carrie Leonetti, Professorial Lecturer in Law, George Washington University
157. Matthew Liebman, Professor and Chair of the Justice for Animals Program, University of San Francisco School of Law
158. Jessica Litman, John F. Nickoll Professor of Law, University of Michigan
159. J.C. Lore, Distinguished Clinical Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
160. H. Timothy Lovelace, Jr., Professor of Law and History, John Hope Franklin Research Scholar, Duke University School of Law
161. Lynn Lu, Associate Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
162. Tania Luma, Clinical Professor, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
163. Guadalupe Luna, Professor Emerita, Northern Illinois University College of Law
164. Shirley Lung, Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
165. Lindsay M. Harris, Professor of Law, University of San Francisco School of Law
166. Sean MacDonald, Professor of Economics, City Tech - CUNY
167. Jessica Mahon Scoles, Associate Professor, Western New England University School of Law
168. Evelyn Malave, Assistant Professor, St. John’s University School of Law
169. Randi Mandelbaum, Associate Dean for Clinical Education and Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
170. Stephen Marks, Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law
171. Claudia Martin, Co-Director Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, American University Washington College of Law
172. Geovanny Martinez, Senior Lecturing Fellow and Executive Director for the Center on Law, Race & Policy, Duke University School of Law
173. Zuneera Masood, Principal Attorney; Adjunct, Masood Law; Wilmington University
174. Mari Matsuda, Professor Emeritus, University of Hawai’i William S. Richardson School
175. of Law
176. Audrey McFarlane, Professor of Law, University of Baltimore School of Law
177. Joan Meier, NFVLC Professor of Clinical Law, George Washington University Law School
178. Ted Mermin, Director, Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice, UC Berkeley School of Law
179. Mike Michel, Vice President & Senior Counsel, George Washington University law school
180. Ford Miller, Asst. Professor, Loyola University College of Law
181. Joy Milligan, Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
182. S David Mitchell, Professor, University of Missouri
183. Luz Molina, Law Professor, Emerita, Loyola College of Law, New Orleans, LA
184. Daniel Morales, Associate Professor of Law, Dwight Olds Chair in Law , University of Houston Law Center
185. Jamelia Morgan, Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law
186. Gaurav Mukherjee, Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Connecticut
187. Athena Mutua, Professor of Law, University at Buffalo School of Law
188. Julius Nam, Co-Founder, CRS Restoration Project
189. Jyoti Nanda, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School
190. Usha Natarajan, Senior Lecturer in Law, The University of the West Indies
191. Sumaya Noush, Adjunct Professor, Loyola University Chicago School of Law; Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Loyola University Chicago School of Law; McDermott Will & Schulte LLP
192. Kenneth Nunn, Dr. Patricia Hilliard-Nunn Memorial Racial Justice Term Professor And Professor of Law, Emeritus, University of Florida Levin College of Law
193. Michelle Oberman, Katharine & George Alexander Professor of Law, Santa Clara University School of Law
194. Michele Okoh, Assistant Professor, Lewis & Clark Law School
195. Mariela Olivares, Professor of Law, Howard University School of Law
196. Chrystin Ondersma, Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
197. David Oppenheimer, Clinical Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley
198. Kelly Orians, Assistant Professor, University of Virginia School of Law
199. Traci Overton, Director, Civil Practice Clinic, Rutgers Law School
200. Anapaula Pérez-Gaitan, Program Manager, GW Law Public Interest and Public Service Law Center
201. Angelo Petrigh, Clinical Associate Professor, Boston University School of Law
202. Tara Pomparelli, Clinical Teaching Fellow, Rutgers Law School—Newark
203. Dara Purvis, James E. Beasley Professor of Law, Temple University Beasley School of Law
204. Victor Quintanilla, Professor of Law, IU Maurer School of Law
205. Vernellia Randall, Professor Emerita of Law, The University of Dayton School of Law
206. Jarrod Reich, Senior Lecturer, Boston University School of Law
207. Abby Reyes, Director, UCI Community Resilience, UC Irvine
208. Kim Ricardo, Lucy Sprague Professor in Public Interest, Associate Dean of Experiential Education, University of Illinois Chicago School of Law
209. L. Song Richardson, Chancellor’s Professor of Law, UC Irvine School of Law
210. Sandra Rierson, Professor, Western State College of Law
211. Laura Riley, Assistant Dean of Clinical Education, UC Berkeley Law
212. Anna Roberts, Dean’s Research Scholar & Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School
213. Russell Robinson, Professor of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law
214. Tom Romero, Professor, William S. Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada Las Vegas
215. Victor Romero, Professor of Law & Maureen B. Cavanaugh Distinguished Faculty Scholar, Penn State Dickinson Law
216. Jennifer Rosen Valverde, Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
217. Joseph Rosenberg, Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
218. Carrie Rosenbaum, Associate Professor of Legal Writing, University of San Francisco School of Law
219. Nantiya Ruan, Professor of Law, UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law
220. Luke Ryan, Attorney, Strehorn, Ryan & Hoose
221. Molly Ryan Strehorn, Managing Partner, Strehorn, Ryan & Hoose
222. Kathryn Sabbeth, Professor of Law & Judge Warren J. Ferguson Scholar, Rutgers Law - Newark
223. Seema Saifee, Associate Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
224. Natsu Taylor Saito, Regents’ Professor Emerita, Georgia State University College of Law
225. Susan Salazar, Asst. Professor, CUNY School of Law
226. Saúl Sarabia, Academic Coordinator, UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment
227. Robert R. Statchen, Clinical Professor of Law, Associate Dean for Experiential Learning
228. Joan Schaffner, Associate Professor of Law, The George Washington University Law School
229. Jeffrey Selbin, Chancellor’s Clinical Professor of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law
230. Alice Setrini, Clinical teaching fellow, Loyola University Chicago
231. Meena Shah, Attorney
232. Kelly Shanahan, Clinical Law Fellow with the Immigration & Human Rights Clinic at the James H. Binger Center for New Americans, University of Minnesota Law School
233. Sandra Simkins, Law Professor, Rutgers University
234. Dan Simon, Richard L. and Maria B. Crutcher Professor of Law & Psychology, Gould School of Law and Department of Psychology, University of Southern California
235. Matiangai Sirleaf, Nathan Patz Professor of Law, University of Maryland School of Law
236. Doug Smith, Vice President, Policy and Legal Strategy, Inclusive Action
237. William C. Snowden, Law Professor, Loyola University New Orleans, College of Law
238. Vincent Southerland, Associate Professor of Law, New York University School of Law
239. Emily Spottswood, Professor of Law, Penn State Dickinson Law
240. Caren Street, Principal, GWU Law Alumna
241. Allison Tait, Professor, University of Richmond School of Law
242. Kathleen Tarr, Advanced Lecturer, Program in Writing and Rhetoric, Stanford University
243. Cindy Thomas Archer, Professor of Lawyering Skills, University of California, Irvine, School of Law
244. Lauren Threatte, Assistant Professor of Law, Northern Illinois University
245. David Troutt, Distinguished Professor of Law, Derrick A. Bell Scholar, Rutgers Law School
246. Lisa Tucker, Professor of Law, Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law
247. Courtney Turkington, Assistant Professor of Law, Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
248. Julia Vazquez, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School
249. Natalie Vena, Assistant Professor of Urban Studies, Queens College-City University of New York
250. Paulina Vera, Distinguished Professorial Lecturer in Law; Director, Immigration Clinic, The George Washington University Law School
251. Nathan Verbiscar-Brown, Counsel, No institutional affiliation
252. Rob Verchick, Gauthier-St. Martin Eminent Scholar Chair in Environmental Law, Loyola University New Orleans
253. Leti Volpp, Robert D. and Leslie Kay Raven Professor of Law in Access to Justice, UC Berkeley School of Law
254. Kara Sheli Wallis, Associate Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
255. Lisa Waters, Associate Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law
256. Lindsey Webb, Associate Professor, University of Denver Sturm College of Law
257. Jonathan Weinberg, Distinguished Professor of Law, Wayne State University
258. Brandon Weiss, Professor of Law, American University Washington College of Law
259. Kayonia Whetstone, Associate Professor of Fundamentals of Lawyering, The George Washington University Law School
260. Amy Widman, Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
261. Stephanie Wildman, Professor Emerita, Santa Clara University School of Law
262. Hon. Tiffany Williams Brewer, Associate Professor of Law, Howard University School of Law
263. Darryl C. Wilson, Professor of Law, Stetson University College of Law
264. Patricia Worthy, Professor, Howard University School of Law
265. Jennifer Wriggins, Professor of Law, University of Maine School of Law
266. Kathryne Young, Professor of Law, The George Washington University Law School
267. Galen Yun, Counsel, No institutional affiliation
268. Steven Zeidman, Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law

1. American Bar Association, Standard 206. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION (“(a) Consistent with sound legal education policy and the Standards, a law school shall demonstrate by concrete action a commitment to diversity and inclusion by providing full opportunities for the study of law and entry into the profession by members of underrepresented groups, particularly racial and ethnic minorities, and a commitment to having a student body that is diverse with respect to gender, race, and ethnicity. (b) Consistent with sound educational policy and the Standards, a law school shall demonstrate by concrete action a commitment to diversity and inclusion by having a faculty and staff that are diverse with respect to gender, race, and ethnicity.”). ↑
2. Abrams et al., DEI Programs Are Lawful Under Federal Civil Rights Laws and Supreme Court Precedent Feb. 20, 2025) (explaining legality of common “DEI” policies and observing that Trump administration anti-”DEI” executive orders are legally suspect because they “rest[] on, and futher[], pernicious stereotypes that presume the intellectual inferiority of women and Black people”). On the ABA’s legacy of racial, ethnic and gender-based exclusion, see CLC Letter to Daniel Thies, Council Chair (Apr. 1, 2026). ↑
3. Abrams et al., Letter to ABA Council Defending Standard 206 (Sept. 30, 2024); see also African American Policy Forum, Anti-Blackness is the Point: Racism, Misogyny, and Donald Trump’s Assault on Equal Opportunity (Oct. 2025). ↑
4. Id. ↑
5. See Critical Legal Collective, Why Academic Freedom Needs DEI, LPE Blog (Dec. 5, 2024). ↑
6. See Mutua et al., The War on Higher Education, 72 UCLA L. Rev. Disc. 2 (2024). ↑
7. Institutional affiliations listed for identification purposes only. ↑