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Guardians of Justice

June 28, 2021

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Guardians of Justice - A Call for Lawyers to Lead is an initiative by Lawyers Defending American Democracy to encourage lawyers to seek elected office or appointments to public sector roles, and to observe certain fundamental obligations in the process.

Lawyers bring unique values, experiences, and skills to the political landscape. For example, Lawyers have consistently had a key role in contributing to the political and legal stability of the United States and to the existence of our Constitution. This initiative hopes to inspire a new wave of lawyers who are firmly committed to democracy and the rule of law to seek political leadership in our country at the local, state, and national levels.

LDAD was founded on the belief that the legal profession has a special obligation to protect the rule of law, to speak up when democracy is threatened, and to lead by inspiration and example. Guardians of Justice takes this belief one step further by encouraging lawyers to bring their unique skills, experiences, and dedication to our country’s fundamental values into elected office and key appointed roles in government at a time when these core principles are under unprecedented strain. 

The Guardians of Justice toolkit provides the following key information:

  1. The ten fundamental principles that lawyers seeking office or appointment to government service should observe;
  2. The history of lawyers as leaders in government and the decline of lawyers serving;
  3. The current state of American democracy and the rule of law;
  4. Resources for educating on and analyzing the state of American democracy, the rule of law and public opinion on these issues; and
  5. Ways that bar associations can use and support this effort.

Guardians of Justice offers an opportunity to reach the profession in a shared goal of educating lawyers about their fundamental obligations to serve as guardrails in protecting democracy and the rule of law, promote civic engagement and civil discourse, and inspire action.

We invite the legal profession to join us and demonstrate to the country that we will defend the norms and principles of our democratic institutions and our justice system and remain steadfast to our historic role as guardians of justice.

Access the toolkit here.