The Philadelphia Bar Association stands firm in its commitment to the rule of law and judicial and attorney independence.
As such, we condemn the Trump administration’s recent lawsuit against Maryland’s federal judges, saying they should recuse themselves from cases involving deportations. As Chief Justice John Roberts said earlier this year, the appellate review process exists to give litigants an opportunity to disagree with a judge’s ruling and to seek a reversal. Unprecedented actions like this lawsuit erode the ability of our judiciary to make rulings based on the law, in an effort to intimidate and perpetuate fear.
Our Association continues to meet this critical moment in our history by finding opportunities to bring our community together in defense of our democracy. Our Bar Association has filed four amicus briefs in support of law firms challenging specific executive orders attacking attorney independence; all of which have provided relief to the law firms. In addition (or Moreover), we partner with other organizations who are doing the same, including the American Bar Association, which recently filed a lawsuit seeking to halt executive orders targeting lawyers and law firms.
On June 26, two days after the lawsuit against the Maryland judges was filed, we held a virtual program, “Meeting the Moment: Focus on the Rule of Law,” to provide an overview of efforts to protect judicial and attorney independence and what the Association is doing to support this important work.
Thank you to our speakers:
Opening remarks: William R. “Bill” Bay, President, American Bar Association
Keynote Speaker: Hon. Theodore A. McKee, former Chief Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Panelists:
Hon. Cynthia M. Rufe, Senior Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
Hon. D. Brooks Smith, former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and former Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
Charles Becker, Partner, Kline & Specter, and Vice-Chair, PA Supreme Court Commission on Judicial Independence
Hayden Johnson, Counsel, Free Expression and Right to Dissent Team, Protect Democracy
Thomas G. Wilkinson, Member, Cozen O'Connor
Moderators:
Deborah Gross, President and CEO, Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts
Katayun I. Jaffari, Chancellor, Philadelphia Bar Association
