January 8, 2026
Bar exam or bar brawl?
Texas First State to End American Bar Association oversight of law schools
Texas cuts ABA cord — fans cheer freedom, critics warn grads will pay
TLDR: Texas Supreme Court ended ABA control over law school approval, taking it in‑house. Comments split between cheers for freedom and fears about portability and prestige, with calls to shake up medical training too and worries about whether Texas grads can practice easily in other states.
Texas just slammed the brakes on the American Bar Association (ABA), saying the national group won’t have the final say on which law schools count in Texas anymore. In a unanimous order, the Texas Supreme Court vowed simple, neutral metrics and promised portability—meaning your Texas law degree should still travel. The ABA is a voluntary lawyers’ group, and for 42 years Texas leaned on it; now the state’s top court is taking the wheel.
Cue the comments: one camp is celebrating a jailbreak from a “trade group monopoly,” betting more schools and lower costs. The other side fears Texas grads get punished, worrying other states and big firms might side‑eye non‑ABA degrees. Fact‑checkers jumped in, too—CyanLite2 argued Texas isn’t truly the first, pointing out other states have state‑only accreditation programs. Instant drama.
Then came the detours: Onavo wants medical schools next, dragging residency chaos into the chat. Nervous newbies asked the practical stuff—can a Texas‑trained lawyer easily practice in New York? The court says portability stays, maybe via future multi‑state accrediting, but the crowd’s skeptical. Meme patrol showed up with “BARbarians at the gate” and “bar exam ≠ barista exam” zingers. Bottom line: freedom vs. standards, prestige panic, and a very Texan experiment everyone’s watching via KERA.
Key Points
- •Texas Supreme Court finalized an order ending ABA oversight of law school accreditation for Texas bar eligibility.
- •Texas becomes the first U.S. state to remove the ABA’s final say on who can sit for the bar exam.
- •Law school approval authority now rests solely with the Texas Supreme Court.
- •The court promises objective, ideologically neutral criteria and no immediate changes to the approved schools list.
- •Texas aims to preserve cross-state portability of law degrees and may consider other multi-state accrediting entities in the future.