In LDAD’s report, Marching Towards Autocracy – How States Are Failing Democracy – And What We Can Do About It, we analyzed fundamental democratic principles under assault. One of those core principles, “Respect for individual autonomy,” highlighted dangerous new laws, including those that harm LGBTQ+ individuals. We are grateful to LDAD board member Kelly Sheridan for writing in The Fulcrum about the shameful falsehoods behind the increasing number of bans on gender affirming care for minors: Disinformation Underlies Bans on Care for Transgender Adolescents.
Thousands of individuals have signed our call to United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, requesting that he exercise his leadership and persuade Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from sitting on the presidential immunity case, Trump v. United States. It is unfortunate that the new Code of Conduct adopted by the Court has no mechanism for enforcement, even when a Justice ignores a clear conflict that should require his recusal. At the very least, we must let the Court know that if Justice Thomas insists on participating in this matter, the loss of public trust and confidence in this institution becomes increasingly irreparable.
Please click here to read the letter to Chief Justice Roberts and please sign here.
LDAD congratulates board member Estelle Rogers, who will receive the prestigious Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award from the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession at the ABA Annual Meeting. Honorees are selected for achieving professional excellence and helping advance opportunities for other women. She joins two other LDAD board members who have also been recognized in the past with this award, former Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court, Peggy A. Quince, and Lauren Stiller Rikleen, who also serves as LDAD’s executive director.
Please continue sharing this Call-to-Action with your networks. We also hope that you will support our ongoing efforts to protect democracy by contributing to LDAD.
We thank you.
Lawyers Defending American Democracy
