Attorney General Pam Bondi notified the American Bar Association that the Trump administration will no longer grant the organization access to non-public information about judicial nominees.
"For several decades, the American Bar Association has received special treatment and enjoyed special access to judicial nominees," Bondi said in the letter to ABA President William Bay. "In some administrations, the ABA received notice of nominees before a nomination was announced to the public. Some administrations would even decide whether to nominate an individual based on a rating assigned by the ABA."
Bondi then called out the ABA for its liberal leanings.
“Unfortunately, the ABA no longer functions as a fair arbiter of nominees’ qualifications, and its ratings invariably and demonstrably favor nominees put forth by Democratic administrations,” Bondi continued.
“Accordingly, while the ABA is free to comment on judicial nominations along with other activist organizations, there is no justification for treating the ABA differently from such other activist organizations and the Department of Justice will not do so," she added. "Specifically, the Office of Legal Policy will no longer direct nominees to provide waivers allowing the ABA access to non-public information, including bar records. Nominees will also not respond to questionnaires prepared by the ABA and will not sit for interviews with the ABA."
The ABA website explains how it rates judicial nominees:
The Standing Committee rates each nominee "Well Qualified," "Qualified" or "Not Qualified." Unanimous committee ratings appear as a single rating. In other situations, the rating from the majority or substantial majority (2/3 or more of those voting) of the Committee is recorded first, followed by the rating or ratings of a minority of the Committee. The majority rating is the rating of the committee.
Ratings of judicial nominees are posted by Congressional session and are available for those nominated during the 101st Congress to the present.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) praised Bondi for making the decision to curtail the ABA's role in vetting judicial nominees:
One of the best decisions ever!
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) May 30, 2025
Thank you, @AGPamBondi
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