Officials at Florida Coastal School of Law argue they have improved the quality of students admitted and boosted bar pass rates since coming under scrutiny from the American Bar Association, but the accrediting body says it needs to see more proof that those changes are real and sustained before the school is back in its good graces.

New court filings offer a rare glimpse into the ABA’s law school accreditation process, where decisions are made behind closed doors and the details of deliberations are typically held secret. The Florida Coastal court papers are part of a raft of litigation against the ABA by law schools who have been threatened with losing their accreditation is offering new insight to how the ABA is cracking down on schools it deems to have fallen short of its standards. Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, Arizona Summit Law School, Florida Coastal and the now closed Charlotte School of Law all have pending lawsuits against the ABA that argue the organization has been inconsistent in applying it accreditation standards to law schools.