The American Bar Association (ABA) recently released two public statements aimed at the new administration: The first condemns presidentTrump and DOGE for gutting the Federal Bureaucracy.
The American Bar Association supports the rule of law. That means holding governments, including our own, accountable under law.
The second statement condemns Vice President Vance for his comments on the judiciary:
If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal.
If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal.
Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) February 9, 2025
While these statements reflect the ABA’s commitment to our system of government, many conservatives are startled by the blatant double standard: The ABA is willing to hold the Trump administration accountable for perceived unconstitutional conduct, but rarely countered the Biden administration’s conduct. These statements only affirm conservatives’ suspicion that the ABA is a Left-wing organization hostile to their values. This belief undermines trust in valuable ABA programs that have sustained confidence in our legal system for decades. To restore faith in the legal profession, the ABA must show the country they exist to support both liberals and conservatives.
In each statement, the bias is clear.
In the first statement, a response to President Trump’s mass gutting of the federal bureaucracy, the ABA affirms their support for “the rule of law.” This is a disingenuous statement because by firing bureaucrats President Trump is testing a legal theory to overturn Humphrey’s Executor. When the prior administration used legal theories to try and compel millions of Americans to receive the COVID vaccine and forgive millions in student loans, the ABA released no statement. Neither did it balk when the Biden administration pressured social media companies to censor COVID dissenters, or when the former president unilaterally declared the Equal Rights Amendment “The law of the land.” The Association even remained silent when it became clear that Biden’s presidency was run by committee for nearly four years. Are these allowances indicative of reverence for the rule of law?
The double standard is also apparent in the association’s second statement, which condemned Vice President JD Vance’s comments on the role of the judiciary. For years progressives have said the Supreme Court is a threat to Democracy. Even President Biden questioned the integrity of the Supreme Court when it ruled in ways he disagreed. If protecting judicial oversight and independence were a prerogative for the ABA, they would have admonished this behavior. Instead, they remained quiet. Finally, our justice system was attacked in an egregious manner by President Biden when he claimed the Department of Justice engaged in a pattern of selective prosecution so he could justify his son’s pardon. The ABA’s response to this outrageous attack on our justice system was, once again, silence.
Historically, when progressives and a Democratic President ignore the rule of law and attack our judicial system, no response is necessary. In contrast, when a Republican administration tests legal theories or suggests judges shouldn’t be granting preliminary injunctions against valid executive actions, it’s a constitutional crisis warranting a reprimand. Like the proverbial slip, the ABA’s partisan bias is showing.
The mere appearance of partisanship and ideological bias in the ABA destroys Americans’ trust in the legal profession. The ABA may claim the above “double standard” is merely a false equivalence, but doing so misses the point: Millions of Americans who voted for President Trump believe the above “double standard” is proof the ABA exists to push a radical Left-wing agenda. This matters because the ABA plays a vital role in supporting legal-practitioners and maintaining public faith in the legal profession. Attorneys rely on the Association before they begin law school, as the ABA accredits Law Schools. With accreditation comes disclosures for potential law students to examine employment outcomes and bar passage rates so they can make an informed decision on where they attend law school. Attending an accredited law school guarantees the school trains its students in basic legal subjects like Torts and Civil Procedure so their students pass the bar. Post-law school the ABA continues to support attorneys with Continuing Legal Education seminars and provides practitioners with ethical guidance via the Model Rules of Professional Conduct and various ethics opinions.
Additionally, the ABA doesn’t just aid practitioners — they also support the general public. First, the ABA demystifies our profession by informing the public on what lawyers do. Next, the ABA connects people who need legal services, like indigent individuals or veterans, with legal practitioners. Finally, the ABA rates judicial nominees to provide both political parties with non-partisan insight on the qualifications of potential jurists. Indeed, the ABA represents the legal profession to the general public making it imperative that the ABA maintain credibility in the eyes of all Americans, not just the American Left.
Unfortunately, the ABA’s selective criticism makes them appear like a liberal political entity hostile to conservatives. This will make the public distrust services the ABA provides. The public losing faith in the ABA threatens the integrity of the legal profession. If the public believes the ABA exists only to push a leftist agenda, they won’t trust the programs that have maintained public trust in our legal system for decades.
The American Bar Association must stop acting like a partisan actor and more like a non-ideological entity devoted to enhancing the legal profession for liberals and conservatives alike. Failure to do so will have disastrous consequences for all Americans.
* * *
Ryan Silverstein is a J.D. Candidate at Villanova University and a fellow with Villanova’s McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy. His work has appeared in Fox News, the New York Post, and the Daily Wire.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Wire.
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[[{“value”:”
The American Bar Association (ABA) recently released two public statements aimed at the new administration: The first condemns presidentTrump and DOGE for gutting the Federal Bureaucracy.
The American Bar Association supports the rule of law. That means holding governments, including our own, accountable under law.
The second statement condemns Vice President Vance for his comments on the judiciary:
If a judge tried to tell a general how to conduct a military operation, that would be illegal.
If a judge tried to command the attorney general in how to use her discretion as a prosecutor, that’s also illegal.
Judges aren’t allowed to control the executive’s legitimate power.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) February 9, 2025
While these statements reflect the ABA’s commitment to our system of government, many conservatives are startled by the blatant double standard: The ABA is willing to hold the Trump administration accountable for perceived unconstitutional conduct, but rarely countered the Biden administration’s conduct. These statements only affirm conservatives’ suspicion that the ABA is a Left-wing organization hostile to their values. This belief undermines trust in valuable ABA programs that have sustained confidence in our legal system for decades. To restore faith in the legal profession, the ABA must show the country they exist to support both liberals and conservatives.
In each statement, the bias is clear.
In the first statement, a response to President Trump’s mass gutting of the federal bureaucracy, the ABA affirms their support for “the rule of law.” This is a disingenuous statement because by firing bureaucrats President Trump is testing a legal theory to overturn Humphrey’s Executor. When the prior administration used legal theories to try and compel millions of Americans to receive the COVID vaccine and forgive millions in student loans, the ABA released no statement. Neither did it balk when the Biden administration pressured social media companies to censor COVID dissenters, or when the former president unilaterally declared the Equal Rights Amendment “The law of the land.” The Association even remained silent when it became clear that Biden’s presidency was run by committee for nearly four years. Are these allowances indicative of reverence for the rule of law?
The double standard is also apparent in the association’s second statement, which condemned Vice President JD Vance’s comments on the role of the judiciary. For years progressives have said the Supreme Court is a threat to Democracy. Even President Biden questioned the integrity of the Supreme Court when it ruled in ways he disagreed. If protecting judicial oversight and independence were a prerogative for the ABA, they would have admonished this behavior. Instead, they remained quiet. Finally, our justice system was attacked in an egregious manner by President Biden when he claimed the Department of Justice engaged in a pattern of selective prosecution so he could justify his son’s pardon. The ABA’s response to this outrageous attack on our justice system was, once again, silence.
Historically, when progressives and a Democratic President ignore the rule of law and attack our judicial system, no response is necessary. In contrast, when a Republican administration tests legal theories or suggests judges shouldn’t be granting preliminary injunctions against valid executive actions, it’s a constitutional crisis warranting a reprimand. Like the proverbial slip, the ABA’s partisan bias is showing.
The mere appearance of partisanship and ideological bias in the ABA destroys Americans’ trust in the legal profession. The ABA may claim the above “double standard” is merely a false equivalence, but doing so misses the point: Millions of Americans who voted for President Trump believe the above “double standard” is proof the ABA exists to push a radical Left-wing agenda. This matters because the ABA plays a vital role in supporting legal-practitioners and maintaining public faith in the legal profession. Attorneys rely on the Association before they begin law school, as the ABA accredits Law Schools. With accreditation comes disclosures for potential law students to examine employment outcomes and bar passage rates so they can make an informed decision on where they attend law school. Attending an accredited law school guarantees the school trains its students in basic legal subjects like Torts and Civil Procedure so their students pass the bar. Post-law school the ABA continues to support attorneys with Continuing Legal Education seminars and provides practitioners with ethical guidance via the Model Rules of Professional Conduct and various ethics opinions.
Additionally, the ABA doesn’t just aid practitioners — they also support the general public. First, the ABA demystifies our profession by informing the public on what lawyers do. Next, the ABA connects people who need legal services, like indigent individuals or veterans, with legal practitioners. Finally, the ABA rates judicial nominees to provide both political parties with non-partisan insight on the qualifications of potential jurists. Indeed, the ABA represents the legal profession to the general public making it imperative that the ABA maintain credibility in the eyes of all Americans, not just the American Left.
Unfortunately, the ABA’s selective criticism makes them appear like a liberal political entity hostile to conservatives. This will make the public distrust services the ABA provides. The public losing faith in the ABA threatens the integrity of the legal profession. If the public believes the ABA exists only to push a leftist agenda, they won’t trust the programs that have maintained public trust in our legal system for decades.
The American Bar Association must stop acting like a partisan actor and more like a non-ideological entity devoted to enhancing the legal profession for liberals and conservatives alike. Failure to do so will have disastrous consequences for all Americans.
* * *
Ryan Silverstein is a J.D. Candidate at Villanova University and a fellow with Villanova’s McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy. His work has appeared in Fox News, the New York Post, and the Daily Wire.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Wire.
“}]]
