As faculty members of the University of San Francisco School of Law, we write in our individual capacities to reaffirm our commitment to the rule of law and to condemn recent governmental actions that are incompatible with a democratic legal system. We have diverse personal, professional, and political perspectives, but we are united in our concern that core legal norms—impartial administration of justice, access to counsel, due process, judicial independence, and freedom of expression—are facing unprecedented threats.

We are inspired by the statements issued by our colleagues at Harvard Law School, UC Berkeley School of Law, UC Davis School of Law, UCLA School of Law, and Washington University School of Law, and by the February 10 and March 3 statements from the American Bar Association. Their collective words reflect a shared concern about the threats facing our legal system and a principled resolve to speak out in defense of it. We add our voices in solidarity with theirs.

Our responsibilities as legal educators and members of the bar compel us to speak when the foundations of the legal system we are entrusted to teach and uphold are being attacked. We have watched with alarm as lawyers and legal organizations have been targeted for their lawful and ethical work, as judges have faced intimidation and threats of impeachment for rulings disfavored by the government, and as people—especially immigrants and international students—have experienced retaliation and troubling denials of due process for exercising their First Amendment rights. These developments are not just political controversies. They are profound and dangerous challenges to the integrity of the legal profession and to the U.S. Constitution, which all lawyers, judges, and elected officials are sworn to uphold and defend.

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct remind us that "[a] lawyer . . . is an officer of the legal system and a public citizen having special responsibility for the quality of justice." That responsibility is not theoretical; it requires us to stand against suppression of dissent, erosion of due process or equal protection under the law, and punishment of lawyers based on who they represent.

The rule of law is imperiled when government actors:

• target judges with personal attacks or calls for impeachment in response to legal rulings with which the government disagrees;

• punish or threaten lawyers, law firms, or legal clinics for the lawful representation of disfavored clients;

• demand acts of submission, donations, or silence as conditions for avoiding punitive consequences;

• use threats, suspensions, or firings to discourage public servants and legal professionals from carrying out their ethical responsibilities;

• punish individuals, groups, or institutions for lawfully speaking on matters of public concern;

• deprive individuals, groups, or institutions of significant liberties without affording them due process; or

• evade court orders, ignore congressional mandates, or take other measures that undermine the separation of powers.
  
  

We are proud to be part of a thriving Jesuit academic community that includes many students, scholars, and colleagues who are immigrants, international visitors, and members of communities historically marginalized by the legal system. Many among us feel especially vulnerable at this moment. The government has fostered a climate of fear and attendant silencing that is inconsistent with our constitutional commitments and incompatible with the open inquiry and debate essential to a legal education.

As teachers, scholars, and lawyers, we are committed to defending the values of our profession. We support our students and colleagues who feel uncertain, targeted, or silenced. We condemn governmental actions that undermine the rule of law. And we call on all members of the legal profession—whatever their political views—to meet this moment with clarity, courage, and a renewed dedication to the ideals that give the law its legitimacy.

This statement reflects the individual views of the undersigned faculty members. It is not made on behalf of the University of San Francisco or the School of Law.