The Department of Education has taken its first official step toward limiting the American Bar Association’s (ABA) authority over accreditation for nearly 200 law schools, a role it has held for about 70 years. Accreditation serves as an educational quality check, determines access to federal loans and, in many states, is required for graduates to take the bar exam. Assistant Education Secretary David Barker described the accreditation system as a cartel that can allow oversight agencies to inject political preferences, while ABA Accreditation Council chair Melissa Hart said the action was part of the regular recognition process and that a hearing would be the next step. The move is part of a broader 19-month Trump administration campaign involving federal research funding, international collaboration, university admissions, litigation threats and proposed accreditation changes. The administration has also investigated more than 50 colleges and universities over alleged racial preferences, pressured the ABA over diversity and inclusion standards, and faced accusations from Republicans that the association has left-leaning political bias.