University of Wisconsin–Madison

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Perdomo (1996), “The Venezuelan Legal Profession: Lawyers in an Inegalitarian Society”

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Rogelio Pérez Perdomo. “The Venezuelan Legal Profession: Lawyers in an Inegalitarian Society.”  In Lawyers in Society: An Overview, edited by Richard L. Abel and Philip S.C. Lewis, pp. 201-220. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996. This chapter provides historical and socio-political context for understanding Venezuela’s legal and institutional development. It traces Venezuela’s trajectory from Spanish …

Jordan (2005), Defending Rights in Russia: Lawyers, the State and Legal Reform in the Post-Soviet Era

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Pamela A. Jordan, Defending Rights in Russia: Lawyers, the State and Legal Reform in the Post-Soviet Era. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2005. This study examines the transformation of the Russian bar (advokatura) after the collapse of the Soviet Union, focusing on how practicing lawyers and advocates redefined their professional identity and institutional role during democratic transition. …

Justice Department Repeatedly Making Unforced Errors Under Trump

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The Washington Times reported on April 12 that senior DOJ officials themselves attribute the department’s growing courtroom difficulties to three compounding factors: the sheer volume of litigation (particularly immigration cases), an unprecedented wave of adverse judicial rulings, and decimated staffing at U.S. Attorneys’ offices across the country. A senior official described the removal of experienced …

A key criminal case could soon get tossed because of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s comments

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CNN reported on April 11 that Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s public statements about Kilmar Abrego Garcia — a Salvadoran national whom the government wrongly deported to a mega-prison in El Salvador — may lead a federal judge to dismiss human smuggling charges against Abrego Garcia on grounds of vindictive prosecution. Blanche publicly linked Abrego …

Under Trump, DOJ Makes Errors in Court, Testing Judges’ Patience

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A Bloomberg Law report from April 10, 2026 highlights a troubling pattern of errors and inaccuracies by U.S. Justice Department lawyers in federal courts, raising concerns among judges about the DOJ’s credibility. In March alone, DOJ attorneys disclosed relying on incorrect information in an immigration case in Manhattan, made inaccurate statements in a Rhode Island …

Indonesia: Hold Perpetrators of Acid Attack Against Human Rights Defender Andrie Yunus Accountable

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In early April 2026, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) renewed calls for the Indonesian government to hold accountable all those responsible for the March 12 acid attack on human rights lawyer and legal aid defender Andrie Yunus, who sustained severe burns to his face, eye, chest, and hands after two assailants attacked him …

China: Human Rights Lawyer Jailed Over Planned EU Meeting Must Be Truly Free After Release

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In April 2026, Amnesty International led an international call for China to guarantee that human rights lawyer Yu Wensheng would be released without restrictions upon completing a three-year prison sentence imposed after he was arrested en route to meet with European Union officials in Beijing in April 2023. Chinese authorities had charged Yu with “inciting …

Attorney General Ellison demands that federal attorneys adhere to ethics standards

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On April 7, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison led a coalition of 22 state attorneys general in filing a formal comment opposing a proposed DOJ rule (OAG199) that would require state bar disciplinary authorities to defer investigations into DOJ attorney misconduct to the department’s own internal review process — and would subject states that refuse …

Trump’s Claim That the Law Firms He Has Attacked Are Trying to Silence Him Is Truly Bizarre

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The Trump administration has been engaged in a legal battle against several prominent law firms — Perkins Coie, WilmerHale, Jenner & Block, and Susman Godfrey — after issuing executive orders targeting them for representing clients and causes the president opposes. When the firms fought back, federal district courts ruled against the administration, finding the executive …

State Attorneys General Challenge Trump Mail Voting Order

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A coalition of Democratic officials from 23 states, including several state attorneys general and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, has sued the Trump administration over a new executive order that seeks to impose federal control over mail voting, arguing that it violates the Constitution by interfering with states’ authority to administer elections. The order would require …