Overview
- The court voted 5–1 to amend its admissions rule after more than 30 years of sole reliance on the American Bar Association, with the change taking effect Oct. 1.
- New pathways include programmatic accreditors recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and institutional accreditors recognized by the department if also approved by the court.
- Graduates of ABA-accredited law schools will continue to qualify for the Florida bar exam, and law schools may still pursue ABA accreditation.
- Justice Jorge Labarga dissented, arguing the ABA has developed unmatched accreditation expertise and cautioning against replacing it with unknown alternatives.
- Florida’s move follows a Jan. 6 Texas Supreme Court order ending the ABA’s final say, drawing praise from Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier as the ABA defended the value of a national accreditation system.