Overview

• Bondi’s letter to ABA President William Bay states the Justice Department will no longer grant the association special advance notice of nominees or require waivers for non-public information.
• Going forward, judicial candidates will not complete ABA questionnaires or sit for interviews with its Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary.
• Bondi argued that the ABA’s ratings “invariably and demonstrably favor nominees put forth by Democratic administrations,” disqualifying it as a neutral evaluator.
• The decision extends past Republican efforts under Presidents George W. Bush and in Trump’s first term to curtail the ABA’s early role in nominations.
• Confronting the ABA also aligns with broader moves to restrict DOJ engagement in its events and challenge its law school accreditation authority.