This report, published for the 16th International Day of the Endangered Lawyer (24 January 2026), examines growing threats to the independence, safety, and professional freedom of lawyers in the United States. Traditionally seen as a strong rule-of-law democracy, the U.S. has been selected as the 2026 focus country due to escalating political, institutional, and administrative …
In 2025, Lawyers Defending American Democracy (LDAD) responded to intensified challenges to due process, separation of powers, and judicial independence with a mix of accountability and action. The organization filed ethics complaints, submitted amicus briefs in major democracy-related cases, issued open letters and statements, and expanded organizing efforts—including Meeting the Moment, a national call for …
Pakistani authorities arrested human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, while they were traveling to a court hearing in Islamabad. The arrests, reportedly carried out with force and without presenting warrants on-site, have sparked widespread condemnation from legal associations, human rights groups, and civil society. Bar councils across Pakistan …
A Turkish court has rejected jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s legal challenge against the cancellation of his university degree, a ruling that further jeopardizes his ability to run for president in 2028. Without a valid degree, Imamoglu is legally barred from standing as a presidential candidate. Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s leading political rival, remains …
The United States has been named the focus of the 2026 International Day of the Endangered Lawyer, marking it as a country where the rule of law is under threat due to political intimidation of lawyers and judges. An international coalition of legal groups selected the US—previously seen as a global model of judicial independence—because …
A PBS NewsHour segment examines how President Trump’s second-term policies are placing unprecedented strain on the U.S. judicial system. Constitutional law professor Steve Vladeck argues that recent executive actions—especially on immigration enforcement, including proposed warrantless home entries—push beyond established constitutional limits and conflict with Fourth Amendment protections. Federal courts have acted as a key check …
This piece examines how large U.S. law firms have responded to political pressure from the Trump administration, especially efforts to punish firms representing government critics. While some firms settled or retreated from controversial litigation, others have recently stepped up to defend civil rights, sanctuary cities, academic institutions, and government accountability. The author is skeptical that …
In January 2026, a UN human rights expert warned that Guatemala’s upcoming judicial appointments represent a critical test for the country’s rule of law and democratic institutions. Margaret Satterthwaite, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, called on Guatemalan authorities to end the criminalisation of justice operators, Indigenous leaders, human rights defenders, …
This article argues that the legal profession has an ethical obligation to hold Attorney General Pam Bondi accountable for actions that allegedly undermine the rule of law and professional standards within the U.S. Department of Justice The authors describe how mass firings of DOJ lawyers, political pressure on prosecutors, and a weakened system of internal …
In this guest essay, former federal judges Shira A. Scheindlin and John Jones III argue that the American legal profession failed a crucial test during the Trump administration by largely acquiescing to government pressure. They criticize major law firms that struck deals with the administration—abandoning diversity commitments and offering extensive pro bono services to government-favored …