This section features curated news articles on the role of lawyers and judges in democratic decline in the U.S. and globally. It highlights how legal professionals are implicated in, impacted by, or push back against authoritarianism and democratic backsliding. Each post includes a brief summary or commentary that connects current events to broader scholarly debates on the legal profession and the defense of democratic norms.
News Regarding Lawyers
Lawyers Against Democratic Decline
African Commission Urged to Address Escalating Human Rights Crisis in Egypt
A coalition of 22 human rights organizations has called on the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to take decisive action following its recent review of Egypt’s human rights record. Rights groups argue that …
November 20, 2025
Justice Denied: Global Experts Warn of Threats to Judicial Independence in the U.S. and India
At an October 21 event hosted by the New York City Bar Association, leading legal experts from India and the United States warned of escalating threats to judicial independence in both countries. The panel—featuring Justice …
November 6, 2025
Lawyers in Maharashtra Protest Rising Attacks, Demand Protective Legislation
Lawyers in Nagpur staged a symbolic protest by wearing red ribbons at the District and Sessions Court to draw attention to a surge in violent attacks on advocates across Maharashtra. The demonstration followed a statewide …
November 4, 2025
Are We Losing Our Democracy?
ARE WE LOSING OUR DEMOCRACY? Countries that slide from democracy toward autocracy tend to follow similar patterns. To measure what is happening in the United States, the N.Y. Times editorial board has compiled a …
October 31, 2025
Trump’s Attempt to Roll Back Key Civil Rights-Enforcement Tool
The ACLU is leading the fight to protect civil rights and challenge systemic inequality in housing, employment, education, and beyond. Recent actions by the Trump administration threaten decades of progress by rolling back disparate impact …
October 23, 2025
Chad: Constitutional Change Threatens Rule of Law and Democracy
Chad’s recent constitutional amendment abolishing presidential term limits marks a major setback for democracy and the rule of law. The reform, fast-tracked through parliament and signed by President Mahamat Idriss Déby, allows him to remain …
October 16, 2025
Defending Our Ideals in the Face of Adversity
In a powerful reflection, Suren Avanesyan shares his encounter with two leading Russian human rights lawyers, Vadim Prokhorov and Karina Moskalenko, who continue to defend political prisoners from exile. Their work before the European Court …
October 14, 2025
A Global Legal Coalition to Defend Judges and Democracy
As threats against judges intensify across the United States—from swatting and doxxing to direct intimidation—lawyers are mobilizing to protect the judiciary and the rule of law. In a recent interview with Federal News Network, attorney …
October 3, 2025- Read More
Attacks Against Legal Profession
Thousands Protest Saied as Tunisians Demand a Return to Democracy
On November 22, thousands of Tunisians marched through downtown Tunis in one of the largest demonstrations yet against President Kais Saied. Protesters—dressed in black and carrying signs reading “Enough repression” and “The streets belong to …
November 24, 2025
Guatemala: International Organizations Condemn the Detention of Human Rights Lawyer Ramón Cadena
Twenty-three international human rights and legal organizations have expressed deep concern over the detention of Guatemalan lawyer Ramón Cadena, arrested on 10 November 2025 despite voluntarily participating in ongoing legal proceedings. Cadena, known for his …
November 14, 2025
Islamabad Court Attack Sparks Nationwide Lawyers’ Boycott in Pakistan
A deadly terrorist assault on the district and sessions courts complex in Islamabad’s G-11 sector has triggered a national outcry from Pakistan’s legal community. The attack, which killed multiple people and injured dozens—including lawyers and …
November 12, 2025
Pakistan Expands Military Chief’s Powers and Limits Supreme Court Authority
Pakistan’s parliament has passed a sweeping constitutional amendment that expands the powers of the military and sharply reduces the authority of the Supreme Court — a move critics warn will cause lasting damage to the …
November 12, 2025
Deputy AG Declares “War” on Judges, Vows to Strip Bar Associations’ Power
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche escalated the administration’s attacks on the judiciary, urging young lawyers to join what he called a “war” against “rogue activist judges.” Speaking at the Federalist Society’s annual conference, Blanche …
November 10, 2025
IACHR Warns U.S. on Rising Threats to Judicial Independence
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) expressed strong concern over reports from the United States indicating increasing retaliation, intimidation, and politically motivated actions against justice officials. According to the Commission, recent statements and measures …
November 5, 2025
Romania among the states in democratic regression: interference in the judiciary among the concerns
According to the World Justice Project’s 2025 Rule of Law Index, Romania has dropped three places to 44th globally, reflecting a continued decline in democratic standards and institutional integrity. The report highlights weakening checks on …
October 29, 2025
Legal Ethics Roundup: Judges Critique Lawyer Lies, CA Won’t Expunge Discipline, AG Attacks On ESG As Ethics Violations, AI Keeps Hallucinating Legal Opinions & More
This week’s Legal Ethics Roundup highlights pressing issues at the intersection of law, ethics, and democracy. Former federal judges warn that DOJ lawyers under the Trump administration have misled courts, raising new questions about government …
October 27, 2025- Read More
Lawyers Facilitating Democratic Decline
Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal Blocks Judicial Reform Bill
Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal (TK) has struck down a government bill aimed at overhauling the National Council of the Judiciary (KRS), a central institution in Poland’s years-long rule-of-law crisis. The decision—expected due to the TK’s continued …
November 20, 2025
What If the Big Law Firms Hadn’t Caved to Trump?
This New Yorker article examines how major U.S. law firms responded to Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the broader implications for the legal profession. It argues that many elite firms, once …
October 25, 2025
The Hand That Rocks The Gavel
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 …
September 19, 2025
Trump’s $940 Million Law Firm Deals Face Uncertainty
Nearly five months after nine major U.S. law firms struck deals with former President Donald Trump—pledging a collective $940 million in free legal services—the impact remains unclear. Some firms continue to take cases opposing Trump’s …
August 15, 2025
Ugandan opposition seeks to nullify law on military prosecution of civilians
Ugandan opposition seeks to nullify law on military prosecution of civilians – The National Unity Platform (NUP), Uganda’s main opposition party, filed a constitutional court case to strike down a new law allowing military tribunals …
August 15, 2025
Twelve Hong Kong activists appeal convictions in landmark ’47 democrats’ case
Twelve pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong have appealed their convictions and prison sentences in the landmark “47 democrats” case, which has become a global symbol of Beijing’s crackdown on dissent under the National Security Law. …
July 14, 2025
Trump Judicial Nominee Accused of Urging Defiance of Court Orders
A whistleblower complaint made public this week accuses Emil Bove, President Trump’s nominee to the federal appeals court, of suggesting the Justice Department should ignore court orders blocking the deportation of Venezuelan migrants. Former DOJ …
June 24, 2025
Florida Attorney General Defied Order Blocking Part of Immigration Law, Judge Rules
A federal judge in Miami found Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier in contempt of court after he defied an order blocking a controversial state immigration law. Despite a February ruling halting enforcement of the law …
June 17, 2025- Read More
News Regarding Judges
Targets and Resistance
Federal Judge Dismisses Cases Against James Comey and Letitia James
A federal judge has dismissed the criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, ruling that the prosecutor who secured their indictments, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed as …
November 24, 2025
Poland: President Blocks Judicial Appointments Amid Deepening Conflict Over Court Independence
Poland’s President Karol Nawrocki announced that he will refuse to nominate or promote any judges who question the legitimacy of colleagues appointed under the previous government’s judicial overhaul. The move directly targets judges who have …
November 12, 2025
Ousted Immigration Judge Describes Deepening Court Backlog
In a recent PBS NewsHour interview, former immigration judge Emmett Soper described what he sees as an unprecedented politicization of the U.S. immigration court system. Soper is one of nearly four dozen immigration judges dismissed …
November 12, 2025
Federal Judge Resigns, Warning of an “Existential Threat” to U.S. Democracy
In November 2025, Senior U.S. District Judge Mark L. Wolf publicly resigned from the federal bench, arguing that President Trump poses an “existential threat to democracy.” Writing in The Atlantic, Wolf accused the administration of …
November 9, 2025
US hits Brazilian judge’s wife with sanctions as Trump showdown deepens
The Trump administration has escalated tensions with Brazil by sanctioning Viviane Barci de Moraes, wife of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the criminal case against Jair Bolsonaro. The U.S. also revoked visas …
September 27, 2025America’s judges are under attack – lawyers have a duty to defend them
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 …
September 14, 2025
Major changes needed to address bullying and harassment at the Bar, report finds
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 …
September 11, 2025
Afghan Women Judges Left in Peril Without Asylum Support
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 …
September 10, 2025- Read More
