The American Bar Association president said on Friday that the organization is “deeply troubled” by recent challenges to law firms’ diversity programs that have followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision rejecting affirmative action in colleges and universities.
The statement by ABA president Mary Smith condemned “recent efforts of some elected officials and advocacy groups to attack diversity programs at law firms.” Smith’s statement did not cite specific instances.
The ABA is the country’s largest voluntary bar association, with about 166,000 dues-paying members, it said in 2022.
The Supreme Court in June struck down race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, ruling that they violate the U.S. Constitution’s right to equal protection under the law.
Law school administrators and other industry experts have said the ruling will hamper decades-long efforts to bolster diversity in the legal profession.
