Dear John,
The media loves to call our country a divided nation, but for whatever disagreements we have, we can say with certainty that the new administration is taking actions that Americans did not want, did not know about, and would not support if asked.
Yesterday was another stunning day of administrative edicts. The Administration directed the Department of Justice to halt enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a law that prohibits American companies from bribing foreign governments.
Let that sink in for a moment. Pam Bondi, the Attorney General of the United States, is being directed to ignore federal law so businesses can engage in bribery. And she will then direct her lawyers – all of whom swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States – to act as though that law does not exist so businesses can bribe with impunity.
It is another example of the systematic destruction of the rule of law in this country. Business leaders should be speaking out against this directive for putting them in an untenable and unethical position.
Each day that the rule of law is diminished via executive edict, the risk to the norms and principles of our democracy grows. Even as we all should use our voices each day to address these harms, we also must turn to the legal profession to stand up for the rule of law.
We call on bar associations across the country, law school deans, law firms, and other legal organizations to recognize the urgency of this moment. These are the guardrails of democracy and the rule of law. Cautionary quiet only compounds the danger. Tomorrow will be more urgent, not less so.
We are pleased to share news that LDAD’s co-founder and chair Scott Harshbarger, the former two-term Attorney General of Massachusetts, will be speaking at a program entitled: State of our Democracy and the Rule of Law - Sleepwalking into Autocracy. Registration is free and open to the public. Click here to register.
Thank you for your dedication to maintaining our democracy. Please support our efforts by donating to LDAD and by sharing this email with your networks.
Lawyers Defending American Democracy
