Abolfazl Ranjbari, a lawyer and writer, has been imprisoned in Tabriz for 138 days without clear charges. Arrested by security forces on May 4, he spent two months under interrogation before being transferred to Tabriz Prison. Authorities have denied him bail, family visits, and communication. Ranjbari’s case has been referred to court, but no trial …
This American Life #868 — “The Hand That Rocks the Gavel.” Reporters spend weeks inside New York’s immigration court, where ICE detains people in courthouse hallways as immigration judges describe unprecedented pressure from the DOJ to dismiss cases and defer to enforcement. The episode reveals policy memos, mass firings, and new precedents that narrow asylum …
Threats against judges are on the rise — with more than 500 reported in the last year alone. From executive branch officials to political commentators, attacks are increasingly aimed at delegitimizing the courts. This escalation threatens the very foundation of judicial independence and risks discouraging qualified candidates from serving on the bench. The authors, leaders …
A major review led by Baroness Harriet Harman has uncovered a “culture of denial” at the Bar in England and Wales, where bullying, harassment, and sexual misconduct are widespread and often go unpunished. The 129-page report describes a “cohort of untouchables” protected by silence, fear, and a broken complaints system that leaves victims without justice. …
The American Bar Association’s Task Force for American Democracy has recommended that every U.S. state expand lawyer oaths to include a commitment to upholding democracy and the rule of law. The proposal comes amid declining public trust in government and legal institutions, after a two-year bipartisan review led by former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson …
Since the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistan’s female judges and prosecutors have lived under constant threat. Once respected leaders, they are now forced into hiding, facing intimidation, violence, and social erasure. Many cannot seek medical care or work openly, and their pleas for asylum have gone unanswered. Despite petitions and UK relocation schemes, progress has …
The article Avoision: When Government Lawyers Turn the Sovereign Against Itself (Case Western Reserve Law Review, 2024) argues that when government lawyers engage in “avoision”—working at the edge of legality to help political superiors achieve their goals—they fundamentally betray their real client, which is the law itself. Richard W. Painter shows how practices such as …
Two Zimbabwean human rights lawyers, Douglas Coltart and Tapiwa Muchineripi, were arrested after advising police not to interrogate their hospitalized clients—opposition activists who reported being abducted and tortured. Rights groups say the arrests amount to the “criminalization of the profession” and an attack on lawyers’ independence. Both lawyers, members of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, …
Multiple federal judges, including some appointed by Donald Trump, have openly criticized the U.S. Supreme Court for what they see as its “inexcusable” pattern of siding with the Trump administration by overturning lower court rulings with little or no explanation. In interviews with NBC News, ten judges expressed frustration that the conservative-majority court’s actions not …