Multiple
Biglaw
firms
agreed
to
deputize
themselves
to
the
federal
government
to
avoid
executive
orders
that
everyone
knew
were
illegal,
the
DOJ’s
making
up
fake
quotes
in
its
briefing,
and
Marines
are
preparing
to
arrest
people
on
American
soil.
Add
in
a
barrage
of
insults
leveled
at
federal
judges
—
including
his
own
nominees
—
for
daring
to
put
the
Constitution
over
patronage
and
you’ve
got
a
troubling
series
of
assaults
on
the
rule
of
law.
That’s
why
many
bar
associations,
as
the
professional
guilds
charged
with
safeguarding
the
sanctity
of
the
legal
system,
joined
together
to
denounce
these
actions.
Bar
associations
aren’t
trying
to
be
political,
but
when
the
rule
of
law
becomes
a
matter
of
partisan
politics,
the
bar
has
to
rise
to
the
occasion.
We
covered
all
this
in
the
recent
DC
Bar
election
where
Pam
Bondi’s
brother
got
hammered
because
he
kept
pitching
an
apolitical
bar
association
in
a
world
where
the
bedrock
mission
of
the
bar
is
now
political.
In
the
face
of
all
this,
the
Wisconsin
State
Bar
opted
to
do…
absolutely
nothing.
That’s
not
sitting
well
with
a
lot
of
its
25,000
or
so
members.
But
John
Markson
and
Richard
Niess,
a
pair
of
former
Wisconsin
judges,
point
out
that
the
state
bar’s
leadership
hasn’t
just
been
asleep
at
the
switch.
They
held
a
secret
vote
on
the
prospect
of
showing
backbone
and
voted
to
do
nothing.
On
May
22,
we
were
informed
by
a
single
member
of
the
Wisconsin
State
Bar
board
of
governors
that
the
board
met
in
closed
session
May
14,
and “following
extensive
discussion
protected
by
the
attorney-client
privilege,
the
Board
voted
to
make
no
statement
concerning
recent
actions
taken
by
the
Executive
Branch
of
the
federal
government.”
There’s
no
obvious
reason
why
this
subject
should
be
a
state
bar
secret
and
when
the
judges
asked
several
board
members
about
the
vote,
they
didn’t
get
any
further
justification.
They
did
learn
that
the
existing
board
took
covering
up
its
own
cowardice
so
seriously
that
incoming
board
members
will
be
barred
from
learning
about
the
vote
unless
they
take
a
vow
of
silence.
You’re
not
planning
D-Day,
you’re
running
a
bar
association.
We
have
since
asked
12
representatives
on
the
board
several
questions
about
what
happened
in
secret
and
why.
Only
three
replied,
but
they
provided
little
information.
We
still
don’t
know:
(1)
why
the
question
was
taken
up
in
closed
session,
(2)
why
State
Bar
leaders
needed
legal
counsel
to
advise
whether
the
Bar
should
issue
a
statement
supporting
the
rule
of
law,
(3)
what
was
discussed,
(4)
why
no
statement
was
issued,
and
(5)
what
was
the
final
vote.
The
only
possible
justification
for
keeping
a
lid
on
the
mere
fact
that
the
bar
considered
taking
a
stand
is
so
the
group
can
further
minimize
the
risk
of
retaliation
by
acting
like
they
never
even
considered
doing
anything.
And
if
that’s
the
case,
it
sort
of
proves
the
point
that
the
administration
is
a
threat
to
the
rule
of
law
requiring
a
strong
response.
Thus,
the
State
Bar’s
cowering
non-response
bodes
ill
for
the
rule
of
law
in
Wisconsin.
As
the
American
Bar
Association
stated:
“If
the
lawyers
do
not
speak…who
will
protect
the
bedrock
of
justice?”
In
the
words
of
Homer
Simpson,
“I
dunno…
Coast
Guard?“
Wisconsin
State
Bar
leadership
betrays
the
rule
of
law
[Wisconsin
Examiner]
Joe
Patrice is
a
senior
editor
at
Above
the
Law
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
Feel
free
to email
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