HARTFORD – Attorney General William Tong, as part of a coalition of 21 attorneys general, on March 26 issued an open letter to the legal community warning of illegal attempts by the Trump administration to deter lawyers from challenging the administration’s actions or representing clients disfavored by the administration.
The attorneys general call on the legal community to resist attempts at bullying or retribution and uphold the values of their profession.
At the same time the Connecticut Bar Association has joined with the American Bar Association to say “the rule of law must be stronger than any political party, persuasion, or person.” Members of the Connecticut Bar and bar associations across the country have signed an open letter saying they support the sentiments of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts that “attempts to intimidate judges for their rulings in cases are inappropriate and should be vigorously opposed.”
Tong made a strong statement for standing behind the legal profession and the judicial branch of the U.S. government in light of comments made by President Trump and congressmen to impeach judges for “circumventing” the executive branch in any decisions it makes.
“These are chilling attempts to bully the legal profession into silence and submission,” Tong said. “The relationship between attorney and client, including the unpopular, the marginalized, and the underserved, is at the very heart of our system of justice, enshrined in the right to counsel in the U.S. Constitution.
“We cannot abandon that. Lawyers, scientists, doctors, teachers, public servants and so many others are under intense pressure from an administration hell bent on dismantling our professions and doing us harm.”
The coalition of attorneys general argue that the administration’s unconstitutional actions are a gross abuse of authority and an attack on the practice of law. They note in their letter that President Trump has issued executive orders against five law firms, seeking retribution over ideological differences and punishing firms for the actions of individual attorneys representing clients adverse to the president or his supporters.
Trump’s actions cancel all government contracts with the targeted firms, strip all of the firms’ attorneys of their security clearances and threaten the same against any firm that dares to step out of line. The orders bar lawyers from the firms from public buildings and violate client privacy, including mandating that clients disclose their contracts with the targeted firms.
In addition to Connecticut, the states whose attorneys general who signed the letter include those from Delaware, Illinois, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
Connecticut Bar Association
The Connecticut Bar Association, in a press release Thursday, made the following statement regarding checks and balances that underlies the U.S. Constitution. It reads:
“The genius of our structure of government, as designed by those who fought for our liberty from a tyrannical government, is the system of checks and balances that underlies its three, co-equal branches. The Judicial Branch is not subservient to the president, nor to Congress. As the third branch of government, it exists to adjudge the legal propriety of actions made by the executive and legislative branches of the government. This is not a political statement; it is how our nation was designed to function by our Constitution. Our system of checks and balances has been in place for nearly 250 years. It has served this country well regardless of which political party was in power. It has protected our freedoms. It has ensured the continued existence of our democracy.”
A total of 54 bar associations signed a letter urging all attorneys to band together in support of American Bar Association to defend the Rule of Law and reject efforts to undermine the courts and the legal profession.
In the letter/petition, association members wrote: “We support the right of people to advance their interests in courts of law when they have been wronged. We reject the notion that the U.S. Government can punish lawyers and law firms who represent certain clients or punish judges who rule certain ways. We cannot accept Government actions that seek to twist the scales of justice in this manner.”
