ISOB Statement on Rule of Law
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF BARRISTERS
STATEMENT SUPPORTING THE RULE OF LAW AND OPPOSING RETALIATION AGAINST THE LEGAL PROFESSION
STATEMENT SUPPORTING THE RULE OF LAW AND OPPOSING RETALIATION AGAINST THE LEGAL PROFESSION
The International Society of Barristers (ISOB) has pledged as one of its purposes, “[t]o improve or to support the justice system or any of its components.” For the ISOB, this means many things, but most importantly it means to support the right to trial by jury and to be fierce, vigilant guardians of the rule of law as well as the independence of our legal profession.
The ISOB has also pledged to honor and protect not only the institutions of our justice system, but the rights of the individuals for whose benefit they were created by recognizing “that all trial lawyers are advocates fully representing the rights of all clients.” These values and our mandate “to encourage the continuation of advocacy under the adversary system,” prompt this statement of our concern that the individual right to vigorous representation, independence of the legal profession, and the rule of law have been jeopardized by the recent retaliatory actions directed at law firms and individual lawyers by our current administration.
Retaliation breeds paranoia; when doled out in response to actions authorized not only by law, but by one’s sense of justice, it shackles the limbs of justice itself. It goes without saying that the constitutional rights of speech and association—not just of those singled out for lawfully and ethically representing their clients, but of us all—are likewise shackled. If federal courthouse doors are barred for the advocate, the wronged and the accused are also denied access to justice. We all lose the guarantees and protection of the Constitution and our nation’s laws.
For these reasons, the International Society of Barristers denounces this administration’s vindictive attempts to undermine our justice system by barring courtroom doors to those who would exercise their rights to trial within. We reaffirm our individual responsibilities and duties as advocates to honor and defend the Constitution and the rule of law -- our democracy’s backbone. That is not only an individual responsibility; it is what our nation’s government was created to honor, uphold, and defend. Our Articles of Incorporation distinctly state these values and buttress our resolve to support and protect those institutions—of which “advocacy under the adversary system” is a vital part and that rest and rely upon the integrity of the law.
The International Society of Barristers was created in 1965 and is dedicated to preserving trial by jury, the adversary system and an independent judiciary.
The ISOB has also pledged to honor and protect not only the institutions of our justice system, but the rights of the individuals for whose benefit they were created by recognizing “that all trial lawyers are advocates fully representing the rights of all clients.” These values and our mandate “to encourage the continuation of advocacy under the adversary system,” prompt this statement of our concern that the individual right to vigorous representation, independence of the legal profession, and the rule of law have been jeopardized by the recent retaliatory actions directed at law firms and individual lawyers by our current administration.
Retaliation breeds paranoia; when doled out in response to actions authorized not only by law, but by one’s sense of justice, it shackles the limbs of justice itself. It goes without saying that the constitutional rights of speech and association—not just of those singled out for lawfully and ethically representing their clients, but of us all—are likewise shackled. If federal courthouse doors are barred for the advocate, the wronged and the accused are also denied access to justice. We all lose the guarantees and protection of the Constitution and our nation’s laws.
For these reasons, the International Society of Barristers denounces this administration’s vindictive attempts to undermine our justice system by barring courtroom doors to those who would exercise their rights to trial within. We reaffirm our individual responsibilities and duties as advocates to honor and defend the Constitution and the rule of law -- our democracy’s backbone. That is not only an individual responsibility; it is what our nation’s government was created to honor, uphold, and defend. Our Articles of Incorporation distinctly state these values and buttress our resolve to support and protect those institutions—of which “advocacy under the adversary system” is a vital part and that rest and rely upon the integrity of the law.
The International Society of Barristers was created in 1965 and is dedicated to preserving trial by jury, the adversary system and an independent judiciary.