Overview

• On May 29, Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to ABA President William R. Bay terminating the Justice Department’s decades-old practice of giving the bar association early access to nonpublic nominee information.
• The decision halts Office of Legal Policy waivers, questionnaires and interviews that enabled the ABA’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary to rate candidates.
• Bondi argued that the ABA “no longer functions as a fair arbiter” and that its ratings consistently favor nominees put forth by Democratic administrations.
• This move follows other Trump administration actions targeting the ABA, including restrictions on DOJ employees’ participation in ABA events and challenges to its law school accreditation role.
• Sen. Mike Lee and other Republican lawmakers praised the cutoff as a needed rebuke of liberal influence, while the ABA has not yet issued a public response.