Agency staff recommended ending federal recognition for the American Bar Association’s accreditation arm, ramping up attacks on the organization. On Friday, U.S. Department of Education staff released a report recommending the agency deny federal recognition of the ABA’s Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, which accredits law schools. Staff said the body did not meet more than two dozen criteria required for recognition. That report — as well as a separate, roughly 500-page report obtained by The Wall Street Journal last week — argues that the accrediting council is not independent enough from the ABA’s professional organization.