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Albany Law School

Albany Law School

NAME OF SCHOOL AND PROGRAMS Albany Law School
SCHOOL DEAN Cinnamon P. Carlarne
YEAR INSTITUTION WAS FOUNDED 1851
YEAR SCHOOL OR PROGRAM STARTED 1851
TOTAL ENROLLMENT 580
PLATFORMS OFFERED Residential Juris Doctor Flex Juris Doctor (all online except for one 3-4 day in person component a year) 100% Online Graduate Programs - LL.M., Master of Science, Certificate
AREAS OF EMPHASIS OFFERED
Residential Juris Doctor
Online Graduate Programs
LENGTH OF PROGRAMS Residential Juris Doctor: 2, 3, and 4 year options Flex Juris Doctor: 3 years, 3 months (10 semesters) Online Graduate Degree: LL.M. and Master of Science (provide flexible pacing options)
PROGRAM CAMPUS OPTIONS Residential Juris Doctor: 100 on-campus in Albany, New York Flex Juris Doctor: Online with one in-person 3-4 day session per year Online Graduate Programs: 100% online and asynchronous
PROGRAM ACCREDITATIONS Albany Law School is accredited by the American Bar Association (which accredits only J.D. programs) and Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
RANKINGS #1 in Government Law (preLaw magazine) 'A' rating for health law (preLaw magazine) Top School for Online Education (preLaw magazine) 'A' rating for technology law (preLaw magazine) FlexJD recognized as Top 10 Innovative Program by Bloomberg Law
TOTAL COST OF PROGRAM Residential Juris Doctor - $86,076/yr for 3yr program (includes fees, and estimated costs for housing, books, etc.) Flex Juris Doctor – $83,735/yr (includes fees and estimated costs for housing, books, etc.) Online Graduate Programs: MS: $47,730 with scholarships for all admitted students up to $10,800 (based on 2025-26 rates) LLM: $48,264 with scholarships for all admitted students up to $11,040 (based on 2025-26 rates) Advanced Certificate: $14,319 with scholarships for all admitted students up to $3,240 (based on 2025-26 rates)
REQUIRED TESTING Residential and Flex Juris Doctor: LSAT (GRE accepted)
UPCOMING INFORMATION SESSIONS See albanylaw.edu/applicationsadmissions/information-sessions for up-to-date information schedule.
APPLICATION DEADLINES Residential and Flex Juris Doctor: The suggested priority application deadline is March 15, 2026. The final application deadline is August 1, 2026. Online Graduate Programs have 6 start times throughout the year. Go to www.albanylaw.edu/graduate for more information.
PROGRAM CONTACT INFORMATION Jonathan Rosenbloom | Associate Dean of Online Education and Professor of Law phone: 518.445.3385 email: jrose@albanylaw.edu

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Pam Bondi Ends Bar Association Role in Trump Judicial Picks
Pam Bondi Ends Bar Association Role in Trump Judicial Picks

Yahoo

time30-05-2025

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Pam Bondi Ends Bar Association Role in Trump Judicial Picks

President Donald Trump, accompanied by Pam Bondi, speaks before Bondi is sworn in as U.S. Attorney General in the Oval Office of the White House on Feb. 5, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Credit - Andrew Harnik—Getty Images The Department of Justice has announced that it will be curtailing the ability of the American Bar Association (ABA) to rate candidates for tenure in the federal judiciary. This will hinder the ABA's ability to vet nominations put forth by President Donald Trump. Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a letter to the ABA president William Bay on Thursday, May 29, that she is cutting off the association's access to non-public information about Trump nominees. Bondi referred to the non-partisan membership organization as an 'activist' group. '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,' said Bondi, accusing the ABA of having 'bias' in its ratings process. 'There is no justification for treating the ABA differently from such other activist organizations and the Department of Justice will not do so.' Bondi went on to say that judicial nominees will no longer need to provide waivers to allow the ABA access to non-public information, nor will they respond to questionnaires or sit for interviews with the association. In a subsequent social media post, Bondi doubled down, saying: 'The American Bar Association has lost its way, and we do not believe it serves as a fair arbiter of judicial nominees. The Justice Department will no longer give the ABA the access they've taken for granted.' The move against the ABA came a day after Trump announced six new judicial nominees, which included top Justice Department official Emil Bove being put forward to serve as a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that Bove 'will end the weaponization of Justice, restore the rule of law, and do anything else that is necessary to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.' Bove defended Trump during his hush-money trial, during which the President was convicted on 34 counts. Trump also nominated Kyle Dudek, John Guard, Jordan E. Pratt, and Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe to serve as Judges on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and Ed Artau to serve as a Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The President has previously threatened to revoke the ABA's status as the federally-recognized accreditor of law schools in an Executive Order signed on April 24. As part of his wide-scale crackdown on DEI efforts, Trump said that the ABA has required law schools to demonstrate commitment to diversity and inclusion, something which he says is a "discriminatory requirement" and that "similar unlawful mandates must be permanently eradicated." Critics have recently raised concerns over current practices at the Department of Justice.'I think what's happening in the Department of Justice right now is that it's being transformed into Donald Trump's personal law firm," said Liz Oyer, the DOJ's former pardon attorney. "The Attorney General has made it clear that directions are coming from the very top, from the President, and she is there to do his bidding.' Read More: Democrats Grill AG Pick Pam Bondi Over Whether She Can Defy Trump Founded in 1878, the ABA works on the 'commitment to set the legal and ethical foundation for the American nation,' according to the organization's website. Its main three areas of focus revolve around advocating for the legal profession, eliminating bias and enhancing diversity, as well as advancing the rule of law. It is the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary that typically oversees and conducts the judicial nominee vetting process, something it has done since 1953. According to the ABA, the committee 'makes a unique contribution to the vetting process by conducting a thorough peer assessment of each nominee's professional competence, integrity, and judicial temperament.' The organization asserts that these assessments are non-partisan, providing the Senate and sitting Administration with 'confidential assessments of the nominee's professional qualifications.' Contact us at letters@

Pam Bondi Locks Bar Association Out Of Vetting Trump's Judicial Nominees
Pam Bondi Locks Bar Association Out Of Vetting Trump's Judicial Nominees

Yahoo

time30-05-2025

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Pam Bondi Locks Bar Association Out Of Vetting Trump's Judicial Nominees

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday informed the American Bar Association that she is cutting off its access to nonpublic information about President Donald Trump's judicial nominees because she thinks the nonpartisan organization is an 'activist group.' '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 said in a letter to ABA president William Bay. 'There is no justification for treating the ABA differently from such other activist organizations and the Department of Justice will not do so,' she said. '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.' An ABA spokesperson confirmed to HuffPost that the organization has seen the letter and has no comment for now, but the group will have one going forward. Here's a copy of Bondi's letter: Conservatives have bemoaned the ABA's ratings of judicial nominees for years, so Bondi's move isn't entirely surprising. President George W. Bush ended the the organization's veto power over his nominees in 2001, claiming it had a liberal bias. The group responded by evaluating Bush's nominees after they were submitted to the Senate. President Barack Obama restored the ABA's role in the judicial nomination process in March 2009. But contrary to Bondi's claims, the ABA isn't an activist group. It's a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students nationwide. The ABA has been around since 1878, but it didn't play a role in federal judicial nominations until 1948. It launched its committee on the federal judiciary in 1953 and has since been vetting judicial nominees on a scale of 'not qualified' to 'well qualified.' A number of Trump's judicial picks earned embarrassing 'not qualified' ABA ratings in his first term, which is likely another reason why Bondi is shutting out the group. How can we forget Trump's former judicial nominee Brett Talley? The then 36-year-old lawyer and former paranormal activity investigator tweeted about Hillary Clinton being 'rotten' and said his solution to the Sandy Hook shooting massacre 'would be to stop being a society of pansies and man up.' There was Matthew Petersen, then a 36-year-old lawyer who couldn't answer basic questions about law in his confirmation hearing and was basically shamed into withdrawing his nomination. Jeff Mateer, then a 52-year-old lawyer who described transgender children as evidence of 'Satan's plan' and endorsed gay conversion therapy, was withdrawn too. Some of Trump's past judicial nominees did get through, though, despite being rated 'not qualified.' Sarah Pitlyk, then a 42-year-old lawyer and former clerk to then-D.C. Court of Appeals Judge Brett Kavanaugh, was unanimously rated 'not qualified' because of her 'very substantial gap' in trial or litigation experience. 'Ms. Pitlyk has never tried a case as lead or co-counsel, whether civil or criminal. She has never examined a witness,' reads Pitlyk's ABA review in 2019. 'Though Ms. Pitlyk has argued one case in a court of appeals, she has not taken a deposition. She has not argued any motion in a state or federal trial court. She has never picked a jury. She has never participated at any stage of a criminal matter.' Republicans still confirmed her to her seat on a U.S. District Court in Missouri. There was also Lawrence VanDyke, then a 46-year-old lawyer and former solicitor general of both Nevada and Montana. 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Beyond any lingering grievances Trump may have against the ABA from his first term, he may also just be straight-up retaliating against the group for condemning his brazen attacks on federal judges and on the rule of law itself. In March, the ABA president issued an unusual statement criticizing unnamed Trump administration officials for making 'repeated calls for the impeachment of judges who issue opinions with which the government does not agree.' 'There are clear choices facing our profession. We can choose to remain silent and allow these acts to continue or we can stand for the rule of law and the values we hold dear,' Bay said. 'We acknowledge that there are risks to standing up and addressing these important issues. But if the ABA and lawyers do not speak, who will speak for the organized bar?' 'Who will speak for the judiciary?' he said. 'Who will protect our system of justice? If we don't speak now, when will we speak?'

Justice Department tells American Bar Association it will no longer comply with ratings for judicial nominees
Justice Department tells American Bar Association it will no longer comply with ratings for judicial nominees

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time29-05-2025

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Justice Department tells American Bar Association it will no longer comply with ratings for judicial nominees

FIRST ON FOX— The Justice Department on Thursday formally notified the American Bar Association that it will no longer comply with its ratings process for judicial nominees, the result of what it argues is a biased system and one that "invariably and demonstrably" favors nominees put forth by Democratic administrations. The letter, sent by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to ABA President William R. Bay, was previewed exclusively to Fox News. It marks the latest escalation in a protracted legal fight that Republicans have waged against the nation's largest association of legal workers. "For several decades, the American Bar Association has received special treatment and enjoyed special access to judicial nominees," Bondi said in the letter. "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." Trump Nominates Former Defense Attorney Emil Bove For Federal Appeals Court Vacancy The Department of Justice said in the letter that it will no longer grant the ABA the "special treatment" and first access it has received, revoking decades of precedent where the ABA interviewed and vetted potential members of the incoming DOJ team. "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." Read On The Fox News App It also ended an Office of Legal Policy that directed judicial nominees to provide waivers allowing the ABA access to non-public information for nominees, including bar records. Trump Admin Working To Fly Back Guatemalan Migrant Erroneously Deported From Us "Nominees will also not respond to questionnaires prepared by the ABA and will not sit for interviews with the ABA," Bondi said. The Trump administration's decision to excise the ABA from the judicial nomination process comes after several Republican senators on the Senate committee tasked with vetting judicial nominees told the ABA in a letter earlier this year that they planned to ignore its rating system. The ABA, established in the late 1800s, has grown into a sprawling organization that touts a membership of over 400,000 legal workers. But it has sparked criticism from Republicans, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, previously blasted the ABA as a "radical left-wing advocacy group." He and others on the panel previously took aim at the group for embracing so-called "woke initiatives," including its heavy use of diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI efforts, in many facets of its work. This is not the first time Republican administrations have broken with the ABA. The George W. Bush administration ended the practice of giving the ABA a first look at nominees, and Trump also did so in his first presidential term. Fox News Digital has reached out to the American Bar Association for article source: Justice Department tells American Bar Association it will no longer comply with ratings for judicial nominees

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