Week Nine

I can't believe next week is my last week at NCSC! This week was all about the final presentation next week. The assignment is to talk about a current legal topic or event related to NCSC's work and how it relates to the rule of law. Working with the other intern, we decided to discuss how the Trump Administration's recent executive orders have affected the rule of law domestically and internationally.

My part of the presentation is centered around the EOs that targeted prominent law firms in the DC area. I researched the cases the law firms filed in response, including the decision by the judges on the DC District Court. In the decision granting summary judgment for Perkins Coie, the judge quoted Shakespeare: "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." This quote is my central theme throughout my section, as it perfectly showcases how important judicial independence is. Without unbiased legal counsel, the rule of law of a country is severely weakened. The cases also emphasized the importance of lawyers' rights to choose who they counsel, how they counsel them, and what topics to counsel them on. The EOs directly target this by punishing law firms for representing certain parties and fighting for certain issues. I also have been researching the law firms who gave in to the Administration by signing agreement to provide pro bono work towards the Administration's priorities. I was inspired by the number of lawyers and clients of these firms that spoke up about their dissatisfaction with the firms surrendering. Multiple large companies such as Microsoft have also publicly stated they are dissuaded by law firms who sign these agreements because they want their legal counsel to be willing to step up and fight for causes instead of giving in at the first sign of trouble. This all relates back to the rule of law because judicial independence, as well as a strong legal culture with ethical obligations, is necessary for the rule of law to exist. By threatening judicial independence, these EOs are preventing lawyers from fulfilling their judicial duties and obligations by stopping them from zealously advocating for clients/issues of their choice without bias or undue political influence. This slippery slope could lead to permanent damages to the justice sector as client-attorney relationships and overall trust would evaporate. However, it's great to see lawyers, clients, and other parties stand up for judicial independence by supporting the law firms that are challenging the executive orders.

Overall, this presentation has given me great insight into the legal community, legal obligations, and what it means to be a lawyer during this time. It's also been a great way to wrap up my time here at NCSC by using the knowledge I've gained on the importance of the rule of law! I'll be presenting this on Wednesday, marking the culmination of everything I have learned over the past ten weeks.