Founded in 1878,[2] the ABA's stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation of model ethical codes related to the legal profession.

The association is affiliated with the law, legal, and professional research sponsoring organization the American Bar Foundation.

There was no national code of ethics; there was no national organization to serve as a forum for discussion of the increasingly intricate issues involved in legal practice.The purpose of the original organization, as set forth in its first constitution, was "the advancement of the science of jurisprudence, the promotion of the administration of justice and a uniformity of legislation throughout the country...."[7] In 1918, the first women were admitted to the ABA – Judge Mary Belle Grossman of Cleveland and Mary Florence Lathrop of Denver.

[8] Prior to 1943, the ABA did not admit any African-American members and its discrimination led to the formation in 1937 of the National Lawyers Guild.

The ABA denied admittance to Francis E. Rivers in 1943 and several prominent members threatened to quit as a result[9][10] and the organization was finally integrated.

[14] The rule also prohibits attorneys from engaging in discrimination based on age in the conduct of bar association activities.

[16] The ABA adopts "policy" (organizational positions) on certain legislative and national issues, as voted on by its elected, 589-member House of Delegates.

The annual meeting also gives the general membership the opportunity to participate in educational programs and hear speakers address many issues.

[17] In 2010, Jack L. Rives, formerly TJAG (The Judge Advocate General of the Air Force), was appointed executive director and chief operating officer (COO).

[27] Students attending non-ABA accredited law schools are permitted to join the ABA as associate members.

[31] In 2024, the council created a new variance process by which individual law schools may apply for permission to bypass the existing admission test requirement.

[50] In June 2019, the ABA voted to revoke the accreditation of Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California.

[51] In 1995 the United States Department of Justice accused the ABA of violating Section 1 of the Sherman Act in its law school accreditation proceedings.

[54] The American Bar Association Center for Continuing Legal Education (ABA-CLE) serves as the central CLE resource for the ABA.

[64] Since 2003, the Commission on Women in the Profession also supported quantitative and qualitative research (conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago researcher Mandy Sha) on the experiences of Hispanic, African-American, Native American, and Asian American women in the legal profession and produced a toolkit in 2014 to assist bar associations, law firms, and corporations.

[67] In 2011, the ABA's House of Delegates passed an anti-bullying resolution that included sexual orientation and gender identity among characteristics that should be protected, along with race, religion, national origin, sex, and disability.

[62] At the 2014 annual meeting, the ABA passed Resolution 114B, which stated that "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people have a human right to be free from discrimination, threats, and violence based on their LGBT status", and called on the governments of countries where such discriminatory laws exist to repeal them.

[72] At the 2010 annual meeting, the ABA passed Resolution 111 urging every state, territorial, and tribal government to eliminate legal barriers to civil marriage between two persons of the same sex who are otherwise eligible to marry.

Although the committee rates prospective nominees, it does not propose, recommend or endorse candidates for nomination to the federal judiciary, as that would compromise its independent evaluative function.

Also, there is added scrutiny with Supreme Court nominees, such as teams of law professors examining the legal writings of the prospective justice.

President Trump returned to George W. Bush's policy of not giving the ABA advanced notice of judicial nominees.

'"[90][91] In 2012, a study was released in Political Research Quarterly showing that from 1977 to 2008 there was a distinct bias in favor of judicial candidates nominated by a Democratic president, with all other factors being equal.

[84] Republicans argued that members of the Committee on the Federal Judiciary have allowed their personal liberal political leanings to influence their ratings under the category of judicial temperament.

"[95][96] Senator Ted Cruz stated that the ABA is a liberal advocacy group and, as such, "should not be treated as a fair or impartial arbiter of merit.

"[97] Senator Ben Sasse also criticized the organization for taking liberal stances on issues then proclaiming to be neutral when evaluating judicial nominees.

"[98] Throughout its history, the ABA has faced a range of criticism for different issues, including for their past stances regarding race, their diversity (or lack thereof), and for their policy positions.

[99] In 1911, William H. Lewis, who was the Assistant Attorney General of the United States at that time, was initially admitted to the ABA, but his admission was rescinded in 1912 due to his race.

[101] In recent years, the ABA has also drawn some criticism, mainly from the conservative side of the political spectrum, for taking positions on controversial public policy topics such as abortion, gun control, and same-sex marriage.

[106] Writing for Forbes, Mark A. Cohen criticized the ABA for failing to keep the practice of law in America up with the changing demands of modern society.