Lawyers Rally For The Rule Of Law: A Photo Essay
I’ve never seen a protest with this many people in suits.
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Yesterday was Law Day—and this year, it took on added meaning for many lawyers.1 Thousands participated in a National Law Day of Action, centered around public events to express support for the rule of law, which were held in more than 50 cities across the country.
In New York City, an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 demonstrators gathered in Foley Square, across the street from federal and state courthouses, to rally for the rule of law—and to protest recent attacks upon it. The event was sponsored by the New York City Bar Association, the New York County Lawyers Association, the New York Council of Defense Lawyers, and the New York Civil Liberties Union.
The crowd was, according to The New York Times, “as raucous as any demonstration in a politically vociferous city,” but “decidedly more wonky and dapper”: most of the protesters were lawyers, many in business attire. I’ve never attended a protest with so many suits (but not expensive ones—I got the sense that most attendees were public-interest or government lawyers).
The proceedings were kicked off at 1 p.m. by Sheila Boston, a past president of the New York City Bar Association and current litigation partner at Arnold & Porter.2 She led the demonstrators as they retook the attorney’s oath, followed by a chant: “The rule of law protects us all / Without it we will surely fall.”3
Adrienne Koch, president of the New York County Lawyers Association and a litigation partner at Katsky Korins, emphasized the critical role of lawyers and bar associations in serving as “first responders” to attacks on the rule of law. Echoing the language of the national anthem, she argued that “sometimes, in order to be free, we have to be willing to be brave.”
Stuart Gerson—a former acting U.S. attorney general, currently of counsel at Epstein Becker & Green—spoke about the importance of an independent, nonpartisan judicial branch. He expressed “a great deal of faith in the judiciary”—including, he noted, a number of appointees from Donald Trump’s first term who have ruled against the administration in his second.
Gerson led the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice under President George H.W. Bush, and President Bill Clinton asked Gerson to serve as acting AG at the start of his administration. When Gerson asked Bush if he should accept, Bush said yes, telling him that “this is about country, not party”—words that accurately describe the current rule-of-law crisis, according to Gerson. (Gerson might be familiar to some of you as a board member of the Society for the Rule of Law—a group of conservative lawyers committed to democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law—which I’ve written about previously in these pages.)
The next speaker was introduced as someone who until recently worked at an unnamed “major law firm”: Steven Banks, former special counsel for pro bono at Paul Weiss. As I’ve previously discussed, Banks resigned from the firm in April, after it cut a deal with the Trump administration to get out from under an executive order.
Banks reminded the crowd that “pro bono” is “pro bono publico,” i.e., “in the public interest”—which includes legal work defending public rights, the rights of the poor, and the rights of the powerless against the powerful. He urged attendees to “do what you can to preserve the rule of law,” whether large or small.
Steven Banks was followed by another lawyer who recently resigned from Biglaw: Thomas Sipp, who left Skadden Arps last month after it settled with the Trump administration—preemptively, i.e., without even being the subject of an executive order. He spoke movingly about how he came to the United States at age 10, raised by a single mom who barely spoke English. Times were tough—but he and his mother and sisters made it through, thanks to “people who looked out for us and asked for nothing in return.” (Sipp also shared his story with Michael Barbaro of The Daily.)
Sipp said that despite the dark times, “I still have hope, which is why I’m here today.” But, he added, “Hope alone is never going to be enough. Hope is meaningless unless it leads to courage, courage to do what is right in the face of difficult decisions, courage to do what is right by our ancestors—whose own courage is the reason we get to be here today.”
Courage tied nicely into the remarks of Henry “Hank” Greenberg, a past president of the New York State Bar Association and current litigation partner at Greenberg Traurig.4 A former counsel to the New York State Attorney General, Greenberg centered his remarks around leadership, which he called “our solemn duty as obligation as lawyers.” After all, he noted, lawyers “built, fashioned, and made our institutions of government”—which lawyers must defend zealously against attacks on the rule of law, at least if we are to remain a free people.
The rule of law and due process protect noncitizens as well as citizens—and the American Civil Liberties Union is playing a leading role in defending the rights of noncitizens under the current administration. According to Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU has filed more than 100 legal actions since Donald Trump’s inauguration—including many lawsuits to protect immigrants against illegal deportations.
“No matter what you call them, immigration detention centers are prisons,” Lieberman said. “The cruelty and pain are staggering.”
“We have not, and we will not, allow the government to trample our rights, citizens and noncitizens alike,” Lieberman declared. “We are not afraid to stand up for what we believe.”
Standing up for the unpopular has been a career focus for David Patton. Now a partner at Hecker Fink, he led the Federal Defenders of New York for twelve years, overseeing the work of lawyers representing indigent criminal defendants in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
It’s essential for lawyers to represent controversial clients and causes—which is why the executive orders against law firms are so threatening to the profession, according to Patton. They represent a “dangerous effort to silence lawyers,” sending the message that “if you speak up, if you stick your head above the trenches, if you represent someone who is disfavored, you will be targeted.”
Patton asked the assembled, “Will you speak up and say what needs saying?” The crowd responded with an enthusiastic shout: “Yes!”
After David Patton spoke, Sheila Boston returned to the stage, closing the proceedings by leading the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. As we all took the Pledge, I felt chills—the good kind, not the “Perkins Coie executive order” kind.
The rally concluded shortly before 2 p.m. The proceedings were peaceful, and there were no disruptions (aside from a woman who would occasionally shout indecipherable things while holding up an inscrutable sign reading, “Federal BAN human technology”).
There were no counterprotesters, or at least none that I noticed—and that didn’t come as a huge surprise. First, the event took place in New York City, which isn’t exactly MAGA country. Second, its subject matter wasn’t controversial; as Arent Fox Schiff partner Patricia Pileggi told The New York Law Journal, “It’s hard not to support the rule of law.”
Or at least it shouldn’t be. But as Hank Greenberg said at the rally, “There’s an ancient curse, ‘May you live in interesting times.’ And we live in interesting times indeed.”5
(Consider this a Notice and Comment post, where you can discuss recent news related to the rule of law. Comments are open to all readers, not just paid subscribers. Happy Law Day!)
Since a 1958 proclamation by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, May 1 has been recognized as Law Day, “a day of national dedication to the principle of government under laws.”
The rally speakers spoke in their individual capacities, not on behalf of any current or former employers, and I mention employment ties here for background only. But note that regarding the current and former bar association leaders, some of the associations themselves have issued official statements about recent events.
Boston served as emcee for the proceedings, and in between the speakers, she led the crowd in various chants:
“Respect our judges / Give support / Stand behind them / And the court.”
“The Constitution is our guide / We uphold it, we abide.”
“The rule of law is why we’re here / It is what we hold most dear.”
“Hey, hey, what’s our call / Justice now for one and all.”
Hank Greenberg confirmed to me that he’s no relation to Mel Greenberg, one of the founding partners of Greenberg Traurig.
Yes, I know: the origins of the saying are uncertain, and it might not be that ancient.
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2025 NYC Rule of Law Rally © 2025 by David Lat is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Where were the lawyers for the rule of law when Alvin Bragg was concocting a jury-rigged, election year prosecution against an unpopular (in NYC) political enemy? Where were they when Joe Biden proudly proclaimed that he'd invent every way he could to evade the SCOTUS ruling upending his racially-rigged affirmative action system designed to kneecap whites and Asians? Where were they when Bob Mueller's grand jury investigation was leaking to the press for all it was worth (while failing to indict its principal target)? Where were they when HLS and the rest of the University were coddling open-air anti-Semitism -- something they (very belatedly) no longer deny?
Most regrettably, "rule of law" has become little more than a slogan hijacked for partisan advantage, and yesterday was, as it has so often become, the Democrats' turn.
Sorry, this was a political rally thinly if gushingly disguised as a patriotic one.
Just noting......there was a similar rally yesterday in front of the S. Ct. building in Washington, DC.
What is demonstrated by the prior comments is that there are some folks who are so pro-Trump that they cannot understand issues relating to the rule of law. (You want to be opposed to abortion, in favor of ceasing to aid Ukraine? OK, you are entitled to your opinions.
But when Pres. Trump calls for the impeachment judges merely because he doesn't like the rulings, we should all be horrified. President Trump says he's a big supporter of the 2nd amendment. That's nice. But how about the part of the constitution dealing with due process? What about the separation of powers outlined in the constitution. He took an oath to defend the constitution, and I read the oath as contemplating the ENTIRE constitution.