Ed. note: Welcome to our daily feature, Quote of the Day.
Each generation of lawyers confronts its great test, and this is ours. We will prevail: the initial capitulation of a few firms to coercive executive orders seems to have inspired far more firms to say “forget that” and sue. A judge has already invalidated one of those orders, writing that, “Eliminating lawyers as the guardians of the rule of law removes a major impediment to the path to more power.” The barrage of legal challenges has so far been overwhelmingly successful. So the shame you feel about failing to act in the moment of truth, or that feeling of hopelessness about doing anything that matters? It’s a trap: Sun Tzu said “do not swallow a bait offered by the enemy,” so reject the inaction others hope you choose. This crisis is your opportunity to rise to the challenge, show your mettle, and use your power for good.
— An excerpt from an opinion piece by executive director David A. Carrillo and senior research fellow Brandon V. Stracener of the California Constitution Center at Berkeley Law, published in The Recorder, where the pair argue that “[r]espect for the rule of law and due process should not be a partisan issue,” encouraging lawyers to “get out there and say something, write something, do something.”
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Bluesky, X/Twitter, and Threads, or connect with her on LinkedIn.
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