Law school deans from over 100 higher learning institutions across the country signed a letter calling on students to disagree with people respectfully, while upholding the rule of law and championing the U.S. Constitution.
The American Bar Association’s (ABA) Task Force for American Democracy unveiled the letter, which was signed by 119 deans, including Kerry Abrams of the Duke University School of Law; Paul Brest of Stanford Law School; Jennifer Gerarda Brown of Quinnipiac University; Jens David Ohlin of Cornell Law School; Heather K. Gerken of Yale School of Law; Risa Goluboff of the University of Virginia School of Law; and Gillian Lester of Columbia Law School.
The group of educators who are responsible for training the nation’s lawyers, reestablishes their commitment to getting the next generation of legal advocates ready to uphold democracy and the rule of law.
"Lawyers play a critical role in sustaining our constitutional democracy," the letter reads, before pointing to a quote from former President John F. Kennedy on the commitment needed to maintain such a system of government.
Kennedy is quoted as saying, "Democracy is never a final achievement. It is a call to untiring effort…"
"We are thus grateful to the American Bar Association Task Force for American Democracy for its efforts to protect and preserve the rule of law and the ideals of our profession," the deans wrote.
They then said the next generation of lawyers should be trained on certain essential elements.
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One of the elements was to teach students to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, including a duty to "support our constitutional democracy."
Farthing the public’s understanding of and confidence in the rule of law and the justice system is another key element the ABA and law school deans affirmed was needed.
The deans pledged to offer "courses, workshops, and events that engage with the rule of law and democracy and sharing teaching resources through a new clearinghouse that the American Bar Association is creating," and to teach "students to disagree respectfully and to engage across partisan and ideological divides."
They also plan to encourage students to support and defend the Constitution and rule of law through clinical work, public education and advocacy.
"Today, our nation and world are at an inflection point," ABA President Mary Smith said. "At home and around the globe, autocrats and dictators threaten the rule of law. Our democracy is under strain. A fundamental cause of this crisis lies in the fact that many of our citizens are not educated on the rule of law and the basic principles of our democratic republic."
Smith said citizens take democracy for granted and fail to understand their essential freedoms can easily be lost.
"It is critical to take action steps with immediate impact that will lead our citizens to feel committed to our democracy," she said.
Shortly after becoming president of the ABA, Smith created the task force and focused on ways to protect democracy during her term.
The letter from the deans comes as the American public’s opinion of the democratic system continues to move toward a sense of weariness.
The ABA pointed to a recent Gallup poll showing that only 28% of adults in the U.S. are satisfied with the country’s democracy.
And with the 2024 election quickly approaching, law school students are getting more engaged with conversations about democracy, the ABA said.
"It is heartening to know that law school deans are embracing the support and defense of our democracy as part of a basic legal education," Task Force Co-Chair and former secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson said. "This is not a partisan, political issue. It is Rule of Law 101. The next generation of lawyers must understand the challenges we face, take the torch we pass to them and continue the hard work to safeguard our democracy."
