When Mike Johnson became the Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives in March of 2020, he had high expectations for many of his initiatives. One of his most ambitious ideas was to open a private Christian law school within the state. Unfortunately, Speaker Johnson’s plans for the creation of a Christian law school have effectively unraveled, largely due to opposition from both secular and religious institutions alike.
In February of 2020, Speaker Johnson proposed a bill that would allow private Christian and other religious law schools to open in Louisiana, in addition to the state’s two law schools which are already accredited by the American Bar Association. The bill echoed long-held beliefs by Johnson that there should be a more diverse selection of legal education options available in Louisiana.
The idea was immediately met with both support and opposition. Supporters of the idea lauded the proposal as an example of traditional law schools thinking outside the box and taking a more innovative approach to legal education. On the other hand, many opponents voiced concern that such a law school might teach outdated legal concepts in keeping with its religious affiliations.
These concerns were immediately echoed by universities and organizations across the state. The Louisiana State Bar Association, the Louisiana Association of Public and Private Universities, the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops, and various liberal organizations throughout the state all submitted letters to the state legislature registering their opposition to the concept. All of these organizations cited a variety of reasons, including the fact that the law school would not be accredited by an existing accrediting body and would therefore only offer a limited range of legal courses.
More recently, other impediments have emerged that have added fuel to the fire. After seeking legal advice, Speaker Johnson has since been advised that the current bill cannot be implemented without the approval of the state’s higher education board. With the opposition to the law school continuing to grow, it seems increasingly unlikely that his original proposal will be able to gain the traction needed to pass the board.
Ultimately, Speaker Johnson’s plans for a Christian law school in Louisiana have unraveled due to the level of opposition both inside and outside the state. Despite his persistence, Johnson has been unable to find a compromise that would make all sides happy, and it appears that his idea for a Christian law school in Louisiana may be nothing more than a dream.