What I learned by listening carefully to what my granddaughter says, and to what the music she is listening to is saying to her, and to all of us.

(Our granddaughter Sage (front row, right, wearing bracelets and braids) and friends at the barricades of the 2025 Bottlerock Music Festival in Napa, California.)

TO LISTEN TO my 16-year old granddaughter Sage’s ever-evolving taste in music is to understand her, and to see the full arc of her personal and character development.

Three years ago, when Sage was 13, she and I did ukulele duets to a painfully revealing little song called “NUMB LITTLE BUG,” by Em Behold. She was going through a particularly rough patch at the time, and the lyrics of that gentle song, calmed her, much as her beautiful, searching voice did for me:

“DID YOU EVER GET A LITTLE BIT TIRED OF LIFE?

LIKE YOU’RE NOT REALLY HAPPY, BUT YOU DON’T WANT TO DIE?

LIKE YOU’RE HANGING BY A THREAD, BUT YOU GOTTA SURVIVE…

‘CAUSE YOU GOTTA SURVIVE…”

Her intuitiveness about those powerful lyrics stunned me. How could this 13-year old know this? How could she possibly know what I was feeling when I was a teenager and made a lame-ass attempt—fortunately—at taking my own life? How could she know that, like her, I was “Hanging by a Thread” but somehow knew, that “I had to survive?”

How could she possibly know that, unless she, too, at age 13, was experiencing the same thing? The last stanza of the song always made my throat catch, hearing those profound and plaintive words, being sung by Sage’s pure, clear voice—my precious little bug with the big, soulful eyes:

“DO YOU EVER GET A LITTLE BIT TIRED OF LIFE?

LIKE YOU’RE NOT REALLY HAPPY BUT YOU DON’T WANT TO DIE?

LIKE A NUMB LITTLE BUG THAT’S GOTTA SURVIVE, THAT’S GOTTA

SURVIVE…”

Astonishing.

But, that was only one small step along a winding, and often painful path. Struggling with some mental health issues, my Sageroo, as I called her, needed a special place to help her discover herself and her talents, and how to better integrate both into her own life, and society. Her “Golden Retriever” (relentlessly loving) father found a music and arts school in Salt Lake City, Utah, which would best fit Sage’s needs and talents.

It wasn’t an easy adjustment at first, for our “numb little bug.” On her second day in a beautiful place, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, she tried to run away, going off campus and into a surrounding neighborhood, wearing only Crocs on her freezing feet, as she trudged through the snow covering the ground in that mile-high City in late November.

She came back to the school, a former Bed & Breakfast in which she lived with about 20 other teenaged girls for the next 18-months. It took her some time to accept exactly the kind of guidance, help and education she needed, and once she did, Sage grew stronger and gained more confidence each day. And, like the “numb little bug,” she once was, she survivee, and never gave up on herself.

Sage’s musical tastes blossomed, and she discovered many more artistic muses, including a proud, all Queer, female group known as “Boy Genius”—-Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dakus and Julien Baker. She taught herself, and me, the lacerating lyrics of a song written by Phoebe entitled, “Graceland, Too.”

Listening to their music was another way of learning how Sage was growing and of listening to my eloquent granddaughter, who was teaching herself to play the guitar:

“NO LONGER A DANGER TO HERSELF OR OTHERS,

SHE MADE UP HER MIND TO LACE UP HER SHOES…”

Those opening lyrics stopped me cold.

“No longer a danger to herself or others.” Sage KNEW this was true, and had come extraordinarily far to get to this point.

“She made up her mind to lace up her shoes.”

THAT was the line that slapped me: “She made up her mind to lace up her shoes.”

There it was. My Sageroo was not only ready to survive, but to trust in herself, and embrace life—“to lace up her shoes,” —the way you do when you’re ready to go out and play, or get back in the game.

She performed that song at one of her school’s Music & Arts Festivals, her lilting voice echoing how all of us who loved her felt:

“I WOULD DO ANYTHING YOU WANT ME TO,

I WOULD ANYTHING FOR YOU…

I WOULD DO ANYTHING , I WOULD DO ANYTHING…

WHATEVER YOU WANT ME TO DO, I WILL DO.”

She was singing to us, and for us, and most importantly for herself. Not only had she found her path, but she paved some new ones—fearlessly, passionately—expressing clearly who she is as a human being, and what she believes and values most in life.

Sage, whose birth pulled her grandmother and I across country from NYC to San Francisco 16 years ago, always had her own unique voice, just like her father did as a child, and still does. Here and now, she learned how to use that gift, tutoring her friends in Math, and, by example, how to speak up for themselves, and take pride in who they are. She learned how to use that gift—her voice, her vision—to make her world better, and, in turn, to improve all of our lives.

Sage’s friends came out in waves on the day of her graduation from the program and the 10th grade this month, to movingly speak extemporaneously on her behalf, about how Sage transformed her experiences into tools to help other survive, and grow. As one of her classmates said, “She went from being the Crash Out Queen to Buddha.”

Even the great Temple Grandin saw it, when Sage’s Grammy and I serendipitously ran into her earlier this year at a hotel’s breakfast buffet just outside of Stanford University, where both of us were attending conferences. An impromptu chat about how much Dr. Grandin’s brilliant books and work in the field of Neurodiversity meant to us, turned into a full-blown breakfast for the three of us, where the conversation turned to the remarkable accomplishments of our oldest granddaughter.

“Well, what does she want to do?” Temple Grandin asked us.

We filled her in on what Sage had achieved over the last 18 months, and shared with the great Dr. Grandin Sage’s love for music, and how she was talking more about becoming a therapist, to help other people.

“Well, she can do that!” Temple Grandin insisted to us.

And, at that moment, as the great Dr. Grandin was reinforcing Sage’s ability to do just that, the lyrics to “Graceland, Too,” popped back into my head:

“SHE COULD DO ANYTHING SHE WANTS TO..

SHE COULD DO WHATEVER SHE WANTS TO DO..”

Right then and there, Carol Villano and I told Temple Grandin on that sunny morning in Palo Alto, California, that we’d always be there, standing right behind Sage, supporting her in “whatever she wants to do.”

Now, ordinarily, an endorsement from Temple Grandin would be the last thing anyone needs to say. After all, for those of us who know and love her path-breaking writings, teachings and inventions, that’s like getting an endorsement from God…

Yet, even after getting Temple’s blessing, Sage astonished us again. She discovered the music of Noah Kahan, a 28-year old singer/songwriter from the Northeast, whose first album “BUSYHEAD” came out only 6 years ago. Kahan, had experienced mental health issues, and was unafraid to write about those experiences in his songs.

He understood—much as our Sageroo has done—that by writing and communicating about his first-hand experiences, he could benefit other people—to help them through some dark days and night—to help them survive.

As his fame grew, Kahan founded “The Busyhead Project,” named after his first album, a national non-profit aimed at reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and making mental healthcare more affordable and accessible to others. In the short time of “The Busyhead Project’s” existence, it has raised $4 million and helped more than 160 community-based Mental Health Organizations.

Sage’s sweet voice sung the lyrics of Noah Kahan’s music at another Music & Arts festival, in a song explaining how Kahan helped save a friend from committing suicide. The song, entitled “Call Your Mom,” reflects the full-circle our Sageroo traveled over the past 18-months: from first refusing help; to accepting how good, caring people could make her life better; to using her own first-hand experience to help others navigate troubled waters.

But, it was another Noah Kahan song which grabbed hold of me, once I started constantly listening to his music on Spotify:

“YOUR GONNA GO FAR.”

In that song, Kahan records his bittersweet feelings for a friend leaving home, knowing that as painful as it was for him, it was the best thing for his friend. It reminded me of exactly how we felt when our Sageroo went away to school, some 600 miles away:

“SO PACK UP YOUR CAR, PUT A HAND ON YOUR HEART,

SAY WHATEVER YOU FEEL, BE WHERE EVER YOU ARE…

WE AIN’T ANGRY AT YOU LOVE…

WE’LL BE WAITING FOR YOU LOVE…

AND WE’LL ALL BE HERE FOREVER…

AND WE’LL ALL BE HERE FOREVER..

YOU’RE GONNA GOOOOOOO FAR…

YOU’RE GONNA GOOOOOOO FAR…

YES , YOU ARE (OOOOOOOH, OOOOOH).”

This past weekend at the Bottlerock Music Festival in Napa, California, Sage, along with her dad, Matt Villano, their next door neighbors The Chavez’—who are among our granddaughters’ biggest boosters—and thousands of others, sang and swayed to Noah Kahan performing his own original music which articulates so much of our lives.

A music festival pro—thanks to her father’s love of such venues—Sage seized a prime spot at “the barricades” of Bottlerock, close enough to make eye-contact with all of her favorite musicians, and to make new friends. Her instagram account is full of photos of Noah Kahan, in a glittering white suit, singing the songs SHE made famous to me.

I cannot listen to Kahan’s “You’re Gonna Go Far”, without thinking of our Sage—who has already come so far. . . and continues to astonish us, and to improve her world, as well as the lives of others.

And, just as Temple Grandin confirmed: “She can do that!”

Like all other sideshows in the Trump Administration, the Press Secretary dances with veils, so wealthy white boys can steal and commit crimes.

(Top to bottom : Eva Karoline Braun; Tom Homan, of the Anti-Humans; Hans Schultz, of “Hogan’s Heroes;”)

Eva, Eva, Karoline Braun,

Clicks her heels to Hans Homan!

Her cross of Gold;

His stare of Cold;

Cut from Goebbels/Miller’s Mold.

Eva, Eva, Karoline Braun,

Monstrous men know she’s their pawn;

Trot her out, show her abs;

And, her gift of Gaslighting Gab.

“The Constitution is Unconstitutional,” Eva declared,

And, even Aryan AG Blondie was shocked & scared.

Then, the Fuhrer waved his own fine hair,

And Eva Karoline Braun was there!

Each time his thin, little lips spew lies,

Eva certifies them with her wide eyes.

“Ridiculous,” she sniffs when anyone calls out his Grifts;

Qatar’s $400 million jet? The Smash & Grab hasn’t started yet!

Bob Martinez got his Mercedes Benz—

What can Trump steal? World without end. . .

Crypto? Gold coins? Media stock?

Eva’s good felon can sell any old schlock.

“If the President sells it, it’s fair trade,”

Says Eva Karoline, milk-skinned handmaid.

No DOJ to get in the way;

No S.E.C. to oversee.

Attack the Judges!

Attack the Courts!

Eva, Goebbels/Miller & Hans

Do it with Loud, Angry snorts.

For White Collar Criminals: AMNESTY!

Since everything White, must be free.

Erase Black History, and Gay People, too;

Eva’s got a prayer, and Stepford Smile for you.

Habeas Corpus? Rigor Mortis! Process Due? Not for you!

NOT, if you’re Black, Brown, foreign born, LGBT, or a liberal Jew.

Eva, Eva Karoline Braun,

Distraction is her siren song;

Look at Greenland! Rage at Musk!

Nothing nailed down is gone by dusk.

Eva, Eva Karoline Braun,

Slithering on what-used-to-be the Rose Garden Lawn.

Hail to Trump! To Hans and Goebbels/Miller!

Hail to the true Democracy Killers!

Lawyers, Bar Associations, legal support staff, court employees, and tens of thousands of US Citizens are fighting to save the Rule of Law across the country, on Law Day

Lawyers, legal support staff, law students and citizens across the United States are rallying tomorrow in hundreds of communities across the country on National Law Day, May 1, to Stand Up for The Rule of Law.

Individual lawyers, law firms, and judges, have found themselves under unprecedented political and external pressure over the past 100 days. It’s why a number of Bar Associations—such as the Bar Association of San Francisco, the Alameda County Bar Association, and the 104-year old Sonoma County Bar Association—have joined with national organizations like the Lawyers for Good Government, and are calling for involvement by individual lawyers, law firms, and their professional organizations to participate in a National Law Day of Action at Federal Courthouses across the country on this year’s Law Day, May 1.

Participating lawyers—on the steps of Federal Courthouses around the nation—will be reaffirming their oaths of office as members of their State’s Bar Association. The organizers of the Law Day of Action, are encouraging Lawyers to reaffirm their commitment to protect and uphold the Rule of Law. That call to action for practising lawyers reads like this:

“Retake the Oath”

“On Law Day, May 1st, we invite you to retake your Attorney’s Oath. We each took this pledge upon admission to the bar. The oath is the cornerstone of our profession, and it represents our promise to support the Constitution of the United States. It encompasses a duty to defend the Constitution, protect constitutional rights, ensure due process, and oppose laws or actions that undermine it. By retaking the oath, you reiterate your role as a guardian of the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law.”

Printed below is the full-statement of endorsement of the National Law Day of Action:

Core Principles for Law Day, 2025 Actions

“ These principles are intended to guide all participating organizations and individuals in planning and executing Law Day 2025 Events. They are designed to be a unifying framework, ensuring that our message is clear, consistent, and impactful.”

1. Upholding the Rule of Law: The foundation of our actions is a commitment to the rule of law as the cornerstone of a just and democratic society. This means:
   1. Equality Under the Law: All individuals and institutions, including the government, are accountable under laws that are publicly promulgated , equally enforced, and independently adjudicated.
   2. Due Process: Everyone is entitled to fair and impartial legal proceedings, including the right to counsel, the right to be heard, and the right to a decision based on law and evidence.
   3. Protection of Rights: Fundamental rights and freedoms, as enshrined in the Constitution, must be protected for all.
2. Defending Judicial Independence: We believe that an independent judiciary is essential for upholding the rule of law. This means:
   1. Freedom from Interference: Judges must be free to make decisions based solely on the law and the facts, without fear of political pressure, intimidation or retaliation.
   2. Respect for Judicial Decisions: While disagreement with specific rulings is natural, attacks on the integrity and legitimacy of judges and courts undermine the judicial process.
   3. Accountability & Transparency: Judicial independence does not mean lack of accountability. Judges must be held to high ethical standards, and the judicial process should be transparent and accessible.
3. Protecting the Independence of the Legal Profession: We recognize that a fearless and independent legal profession is vital to ensuring access to justice and protecting individual rights. This means:
   1. Zealous Advocacy: Lawyers must be free to zealously represent their clients, within the bounds of the law, without fear of reprisal or undue influence.
   2. Confidentiality: The attorney-client privilege must be protected to ensure open communication and effective legal representation.
4. Non-Partisan and Non-Violent Action: Our actions are non-partisan and focused solely on upholding the principles of the rule of law, judicial independence, and legal independence. This means:
   1. No endorsements of candidates or Parties: We do not endorse or oppose any political candidate or party. Our focus is on principles, not politics.
   2. Commitment to Peaceful and Lawful Conduct: All events and activities must be conducted peacefully and in accordance with the law. We reject violence, intimidation, and any form of unlawful disruption. We encourage constructive dialogue and respectful engagement.
5. Promoting Public Understanding: We believe that an informed citizenry is essential for a healthy democracy. This means:
   1. Educating the Public: We strive to educate he public about the importance of the rule of law, judicial independence, and the role of lawyers in protecting individual rights.
   2. Engaging in Civil Discourse: We encourage open and respectful dialogue about these issues, even with those who hold differing views.

If you practice law anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area, and support this Statement of Principles, as a way of endorsing the May 1, 2025 Law Day actions on behalf of the Rule of Law, please take action immediately by contacting Law Day of Action organizers Rebecca Kagin (rebecca@burrellkagin.com) ,Jean Hyams (jean@vinickhyams.com) or Valerie Lescroart (valerie@acbanet.org).

Take action today, on Law Day, and everyday to stand up for the Rule of Law in the United States. There has never before been a more urgent time to use your voice, your position, your intelligence and your passion for the Rule of Law to protect the fundamental principles of this Democracy.

It takes a fraud to salute a fellow fraud as a “Future Leader” of the GOP. Maybe they’ll be running mates…

George Santos & Elise Stefanik. It takes a fraud to know one. (official GOP Photo)

Over the past year, I’ve written a few pieces about Georgie Santos, the former Drag Queen of a thousand lavish costume changes and faces, as he and his fellow blowhards like Steve Bannon, Elise Stefanik, Lee Zeldin and Kevin McCarthy inflated Santos, like a Diva Diribigle, onto the New York and National Political scenes.

Then, like the Hindenburg blimp bursting into flames over Lakehurst, New Jersey, the imposter immolated himself as he lied and lied as fast as he could flap his arms and his gums. First came a swath of indictments for breaking a number of federal laws, then his arrests, his criminal convictions, and finally, a 7 year jail sentence.

Now, Elise Stefanik’s favorite dragged queen—who cast a crucial vote to make Kevin McCarthy (briefly) Speaker of the House, is being kicked out of the Congress he faked his way into, and sent off to a federal penitentiary.

Sadly, it was only when House Ethics investigators discovered that Santos illegally used campaign funds for Botox, Spa Treatments, lavish hotel visits, fancy meals and expensive clothing—all such stereotypically Drag Queenie stuff—that they decided he was too much of a fraud, even for House Republicans—who have masqueraded as lawmakers, ever since they tried to burn the U.S. government down on January 6, 2021.

Trump, and his busted little valise, Elise, stooped to the cultishness SantosRia to a new low of fraud, deception, lying and lawlessness by defending the pardoning of 1,500 January 6 Felons—among them many violent criminals, pedophiles, wife-beaters and thugs.

High on her own Harvard-bashing hijinks—which paved the way for Trump’s university, law firm and business extortionism— Stefanik has proven to be a slimy little shape-shifter: one minute a House leader; the next an almost-UN Ambassador, followed by her latest costume change—a candidate for New York State Governor. Her upstate New York Congressional Constituents—abandoned by Elise’s raw ambition again and again—could be forgiven if they exhumed the long-dead body of Sam Stratton, and elected him in absentia to represent them. Even a Dead Sam would be better than being fleeced by an Elise Scam. Shades of Georgie Porgy Santos….

So before you even think you have to listen to the Busted Valise’s bloviation over “fraud,” “waste”, and “abuse,” being bleated by Crypto-craven GOP ghouls in Congress or scampering, like rats feet, through the Trump Administration, remember who was the chief cheerleader for George “The Felon” Santos as a key part of the “Next Generation of Republican Leadership.”

Isn’t that the kind of vision and judgement you want to see in Congress? Or in the Governorship of NY? A vote for Stefanik is a vote for Santos. If the Democrats don’t start buying billboards NOW all over upstate New York, featuring the official GOP photo of Elise and the Lyin’ Beast, they are more comatose then any of us have ever accused them of being.

I look forward to the day when Georgie Porgy Santos, sidekick of Elise Stefanik and future leader of the MAGA movement, is hauled off to jail. Like many law abiding Americans, I love the sound of GOP frauds, liars and cheats being handcuffed in the morning.

We’ve written and designed our own Passover Haggadah for the last 11 years, with themes of learning, life and love for our 3 granddaughters & friends This year the choice was clear.

For the past 11 years, our family has celebrated Passover with our own homegrown, family-designed and written Haggadah, the story of the special holiday, read at each night’s Seder.

It came about because I was frustrated and disappointed by the traditional Haggadah’s available. We used the free kind (offered by Chock-Full-of-Nuts) and the elaborate ones which cost $19.95 per book. None of them satisfied me.

I scoured book stores, Jewish Museums and temples for kid-friendly versions, which were not condescending, impenetrable, sexist and insulting to the intelligence of our three super smart granddaughters.

Finally, in desperation, I decided to write my own Haggadah, and, each year, build it around a theme that would captivate our girls attention. Fresh in my mind was a schtick Jon Stewart did on his Daily Show, about how we Jews were not very good marketers of our faith and our holidays, in comparison to Christians. Stewart compared our constant battles, and beatings and boils and mean tyrants to the Christian use of an Easter Bunny to soften the nailing to a crucifix of a socialist preacher, or the endless parade of gifts to celebrate the birth of Christ, an illegal immigrant, and illegitimate child.

So, I took Jon Stewart’s advice and decided to pin Passover to the latest passion of our granddaughters, and not only write it into a “book,” but acting it out in what our youngest called “The Passover Puppet Show.” It made them look forward to and plan for Passover each Spring. One year we celebrated a “Shopkin Passover,” with tiny toy Shopkins being led to the Promised Land by Moses; another, it was the “Sheroes” of TV fame who defeated the evil Pharoah; still another time, our stars of the show were “Axlotyls” those amazing, regenerative creatures who could never be defeated, because they give themselves rebirth, whenever they are attacked or harmed. A perfect metaphor for Jewish resilience, I thought.

This year in the face of ferocious political attacks on everyone who was “different” in some way, “Diversity” was our favored theme, hands down, especially since our family is rich with Neurodiversity, ethnic diversity, and sexual diversity. The girls “Grammy” led the way by carefully building the Lego “Rainbow People”, which served as the centerpiece of our “Rainbow Passover” Seder Table.

Everything else flowed from there, especially when our youngest granddaughter, G, Age 9, was told what the theme would be for this Passover. She handcrafted beautiful, intricately designed table place cards, with tiny creatures (frog, dogs, cats) peaking over each letter of her grandmother’s name. She drew, freehand, a delicious-looking piece of cake, which would have made the artist Wayne Thiebaud quite proud, and she dedicated it as a place card for her oldest sister, who was away at school and unable to join us this year.

I devoted four hours of Passover morning rewriting our Haggadah, around the theme of our “Rainbow Passover.” Events of the first 90 days of the terrible Trump Two Administration—with a wild-eyed war on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, attacking Sojourner Truth, Maya Angelou, Holocaust Survivors, the LGBTQ community, and ever single Black, Brown or Indigenous legend of history—made writing this year’s Diversity Haggadah, the easiest writing assignment of all.

The words and images poured out of me:

“Once upon a time, in a not too distant land, lived a mad, mad king. The Mad King was very cruel. He called people names, made fun of them if they were disabled, or if their skin were a different color than his, or if they didn’t bow to his God, or if they loved someone he thought they should not, or ESPECIALLY if they were smart, talented, creative, independent Girls…

“Because he hated anything or anyone different, the Mad, evil King ordered that ALL the Rainbows in the sky be turned off—and that ALL of the Rainbow People be shipped off to a dangerous prison, in a dangerous place, like El Salvador…”

The girls, two 13 year-olds and a nine-year old, loved the reference to current events. Our Miriam, Moses sister who saved him as an infant, was a Rainbow bedecked Grover, called “Princess Loving Heart” who:

“Gently wrapped Moses’ little boat in her Rainbow Coat; she hugged the cozy boat (designed by our 9-year old granddaughter), surrounding it with Rainbow Roses. (Brought to the Seder by our friends who were attending their first Seder ever.)

“She loved and raised her Rainbow Sisters, whose colors grew bolder, and they became resisters; they resisted all cruelty, evil and hate, because—in their hearts—all humans and animals were great!”

Our Rainbow People, symbolic for the Jews fleeing the Mad Pharoah of Egypt, resisted their Mad King’s efforts to beat them down, brought down a storm of plagues upon the Mad King, using finger puppets portraying each plague, played to perfection by the every participant at our Passover table.

And, just like the Lego model proudly occupying the center of our Seder table, the Red Sea parted to let our Rainbow People go.

“The Rainbow People were free at last, their days as slaves, now long past; their differences, valued; their DIVERSITY, a blessing; each with a dignity that left no one guessing…

“They had made it to the Promised Land, with each giving the other a helping hand; “Hope, Everlasting,” each Rainbow said, as they all dreamed as big as the Rainbows over their Heads.”

It was simply the best Passover celebration we ever had.

With some of the nation’s biggest law firms caving into threats from the Trump Administration, the Sonoma County legal community–where the majority of of our judges are women–is standing tall.

SONOMA COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION STANDS WITH ABA, NATIONAL LGBTQ BAR ASSOCIATION AND OTHER LOCAL, STATE BAR ASSOCIATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE RULE OF LAW.

The Sonoma County Bar Association’s (SCBA) 29-member Board of Directors unanimously endorsed a statement by the American Bar Association (ABA) and bar associations from across the country reaffirming our commitment to the Rule of Law and the integrity of our legal system.

“As the pre-eminent legal organization representing nearly 1,000 legal professionals—and a population of nearly half-million residents throughout Sonoma County—we cannot emphasize enough that the Rule of Law is the foundation for a just and democratic society,” said SCBA Executive Director Steve Villano.

“The ABA’s powerful statement—endorsed by many other local, state and national bar associations—is a clear reminder that local bar associations like SCBA, and our attorneys, play a crucial role in defending democratic institutions, protecting access to justice, and ensuring that legal protection applies equally to all,” Villano added.

The SCBA and its member law firms and attorneys have served the people of Sonoma County since 1921, with the highest level of legal services. The joint statement appears below:

“We the undersigned bar organizations stand together with and in support of the American Bar Association to defend the rule of law and reject efforts to undermine the courts and the legal profession.


We endorse the sentiments expressed by the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court in his 2024 Year End Report on the Federal Judiciary, “[w]ithin the past year we have also seen the need for state and federal bar associations to come to the defense of a federal district judge whose decisions in a high-profile case prompted an elected official to call for her impeachment. Attempts to intimidate judges for their rulings in cases are inappropriate and should be vigorously opposed.”

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.

We reject efforts to undermine the courts and the profession. We will not stay silent in the face of efforts to remake the legal profession into something that rewards those who agree with the government and punishes those who do not. Words and actions matter. And the intimidating words and actions we have heard and seen must end. They are designed to cow our country’s judges, our country’s courts and our legal profession.

There are clear choices facing our profession. We can choose to remain silent and allow these acts to continue or we can stand for the rule of law and the values we hold dear. We call upon the entire profession, including lawyers in private practice from Main Street to Wall Street, as well as those in corporations and who serve in elected positions, to speak out against intimidation.

If lawyers do not speak, who will speak for our judges? Who will protect our bedrock of justice? If we do not speak now, when will we speak? Now is the time. That is why we stand together with the ABA in support of the rule of law.”

American Bar Association
Alameda County (California) Bar Association
Alexandria (Virginia) Bar Association
Allegheny County Bar Association (Pennsylvania)
American Immigration Lawyers Association
Appellate Lawyers Association
Arab American Bar Association of Illinois
Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers
Atlanta Bar Association
Bar Association of Erie County (New York)
Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
Bar Association of San Francisco
Berks County (Pennsylvania) Bar Association
Beverly Hills Bar Association
Boston Bar Association
Boulder County (Colorado) Bar Association
California La Raza Lawyers Association
Chicago Bar Association
Chicago Council of Lawyers
Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
Columbus (Ohio) Bar Association
Connecticut Bar Association
Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
Contra Costa (California) County Bar Association
Cook County Bar Association
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Bar Association
Delaware State Bar Association
Detroit Bar Association and Foundation
Durham County Bar Association
East Bay La Raza Lawyers (California) Association
Erie County (Pennsylvania) Bar Association
First Judicial District Bar Association (Colorado)
Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego
Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Greensboro Bar Association
Hampden County Bar Association
Hawaii Women Lawyers
Hennepin County (Minnesota) Bar Association
Hispanic National Bar Association
Hudson County (New Jersey) Bar Association
Illinois State Bar Association
International Academy of Trial Lawyers
International Society of Barristers
The Iowa State Bar Association
Kansas Bar Association
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Foundation
Lawyers Club of San Diego
Long Beach (California) Bar Association
Los Angeles County Bar Association
Louisville Bar Association
Maine State Bar Association
Maricopa County Bar Association
Marin County Bar Association
Massachusetts Bar Association
Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association
Metropolitan Black Bar Association
Middlesex County (New Jersey) Bar Association
Milwaukee Bar Association
Minnesota State Bar Association
Monroe County (New York) Bar Association
Multnomah Bar Association (Portland, Oregon)
Muslim Bar Association of Chicago
Nassau County (New York) Bar Association
National ABS Law Firm Association
National Arab American Bar Association
National Arab American Bar Association – Michigan Chapter
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
National Association of Women Lawyers
National Conference of Bar Presidents
National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations
National Filipino American Lawyers Association
National LGBTQ+ Bar Association
National Native American Bar Association
New Jersey Women Lawyers Association
New Mexico Black Lawyers Association
New York City Bar Association
New York County Lawyers Association
North County (California) Bar Association
Ohio Women’s Bar Association
Oregon State Bar Board of Governors
Palestinian American Bar Association
Passaic County (New Jersey) Bar Association
Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Philadelphia Bar Association
Queen’s Bench Bar Association of the San Francisco Bay Area
Queens County (New York) Bar Association
Ramsey County (Minnesota) Bar Association
San Diego County Bar Association
San Fernando Valley (California) Bar Association
Santa Clara County Bar Association (California)
Sonoma County Bar Association
South Asian Bar Association of North America
South Carolina Women Lawyers Association
Southwest Colorado Bar Association
State Bar of New Mexico
Virgin Islands Bar Association
Washington Council of Lawyers
Washington State Bar Board of Governors
Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts
Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia
Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York
Worcester County (Massachusetts) Bar Association