Here are a few of the most important news stories you need to know from the past week.
For the last decade, AALS has kept the legal academy and supporters informed with our weekly Legal Education News Digest and Blogs Digest. These digests track important developments in legal education, the legal profession, and higher education on the federal level. They also highlight new programs, collaborations between schools, milestones, faculty accomplishments, awards, clinical activities, and conferences/events. Sign up to receive these digests by email.
Law schools can share news and updates with the editors of the weekly digest here.
AALS Legal Education News Digest – Week Ending April 17, 2026
AALS Legal Education Blogs Digest – Week Ending April 17, 2026
Top stories from the past week include:
- Law school professors, deans, and legal organizations submitted comments urging the ABA to retain and strengthen their standard on diversity, equity and inclusion as a requirement for accreditation. As the U.S. Department of Education has attempted to eliminate college DEI programs, the ABA Council proposed the removal of a diversity-related standard. The ABA Council will reconsider the proposal after reviewing feedback on May 23. (Law.com)
- Other legal education stories:
- Why students should work in their law school’s clinics. (American Bar Association)
- Belmont Law appoints Deborah R. Farringer as dean. (Belmont Vision)
- Company partnership to provide AI-focused legal curriculum to law schools (Law.com)
- Law schools question the use of the term “T-14” amid law school ranking volatility. (Reuters)
Higher Education
- International student enrollment fell sharply in fall 2025 partially due to F-1 visa refusals reaching 35%, the highest in a decade. Rejection rates were particularly high for African and Indian applicants while rates for Europe and South America remained stable. (Inside Higher Ed)
- As the Trump administration advances a sweeping overhaul of the higher education accreditation system, fewer college leaders and existing accreditors have voting seats in the current negotiating committee than they did during a similar rule-making process in 2019. Critics are raising concerns that reduced representation will move negotiations in the administrators’ favor and will neglect the actual needs of universities. (Inside Higher Ed)
- A federal judge granted dozens of colleges and higher education associations more time to submit detailed admissions data broken down by race and sex to the U.S. Department of Education. The judge also allowed institutions to join a lawsuit challenging the federal survey which claims to be used to enforce the Supreme Court’s ban on race-based admissions. (Higher Ed Dive)
Law School Programs, Clinics and Milestones
- How Syracuse Law Innovation Law Center helps teach patent attorneys. (Syracuse University Today)
- Washington and Lee Law students discuss their experience in the Criminal Justice Clinic. (The Columns)