Trump Should Dismantle the Left's Control Over Legal Profession Gatekeeping
Source: Matthew Kopko. "Now Is The Time For Trump To Strike At The Left's Legal Monopoly." June 12, 2026. thefederalist.com
The Gist
The author argues that liberals control who gets to be a lawyer and how they practice, using this power to push their political agenda and punish conservatives. Trump should break up this system by ending the American Bar Association's monopoly and creating alternative pathways to practice law.
Conclusion
The Trump administration should systematically dismantle the left-leaning legal establishment's control over who can practice law and how the profession operates
Premises
- The legal profession is overwhelmingly left-leaning, with Democratic-to-Republican giving running about 12 to 1 among major firms
- The American Bar Association has used its monopoly on law school accreditation to impose ideological diversity mandates on schools for years
- Left-leaning bar associations use disciplinary processes as political weapons, targeting conservative lawyers while protecting liberal ones
- The same partisan legal apparatus that controls licensing and discipline also supplies judges, prosecutors, and legislators
- Previous conservative efforts focused on courts have failed to change the profession because they targeted downstream effects rather than upstream gatekeeping mechanisms
- The legal establishment will not reform itself and must be forced to change through external pressure
Assumptions
- Political control of professional gatekeeping mechanisms translates to broader political power
- The current system is fundamentally partisan rather than genuinely neutral or merit-based
- Conservative lawyers face systematic discrimination and harassment within the current system
- Breaking up institutional monopolies will create more ideological balance rather than simply shifting control
- The legal profession's political composition significantly influences legal outcomes and policy