It is not too early to begin articulating the ethical canons the U.S. legal profession must commit itself to in the aftermath of Trump. 1/
After Watergate, the legal profession had to strengthen the line between lawyers and their own clients, when those clients used lawyers' services to act illegally. Now, the legal profession must strengthen the connection between lawyers and truth. 2/
Lawyers must explicitly commit to bolstering evidence based political and legal discourse, not only by refusing to peddle lies themselves but refusing services to clients who traffic in poisonous falsehoods. 3/
Legal ethics demands that lawyers assert the relationship between rule of law, evidence-based arguments and claims, and truth in public discourse. 4/4
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Let me be clear: there are numerous lawyers from the Trump era who epitomize the ethical ideals that should animate the entire profession. A renewed attention to legal ethics in no way negates these attorneys’ work. 1/
I’m thinking of @SallyQYates, @carriecordero, @NormEisen, @marceelias - people who, throughout the past 4 years, reorganized their professional lives to use law protect the rule of law. 2/
Lawyers like @MeghanPaulas@karahstein who have labored on behalf of constitutional progressivism, keeping it alive and growing. 3/
U.S. has a history of appeasing traitors, seditionists, those who disregard the Constitution. We are where we are today because we abandoned Reconstruction, allowing the Confederacy a legacy happily embraced by Trump, McConnell, and those who carried its flag on 1/6/2020. 1/
The lawless will always take advantage of fearful conciliation. They must be penalized and all their efforts to revive their cause staunchly refused. 2/
We will not even begin to redress the ever-present misogyny that brought us Trump as President if we allow him and his supporters to play the victim while they continue to subvert the rule of law. 3/
It feels like we are stuck, enduring Trump’s lame duck stint while dealing with cumulative effects of a needlessly unchecked pandemic. We have to dig deep within ourselves to do what we can to bear in these last seven weeks of an evil executive branch. 1/
For those with promising state and local electeds, maybe contact yours and find out how you can boost good government in your area. 2/
Read one good biography or history book that can help you think creatively about political, social, or cultural measures that can remedy government failures. 3/
Best way to block corrupt pardons: don’t elect people inclined to exercise the pardon power corruptly. Also, demand Congress members who will impeach and convict Presidents of unconstitutional conduct that is also corrupt. 2/
Trump was violating his oath of office from the moment he took it. He was accepting unconstitutional emoluments and should have been impeached, tried, and removed from office because of it. 3/
Don’t be naive. McConnell and Barr are not trying to soothe Trump’s feelings. They want him to remain in power and they want the Senate to remain controlled by Republicans. Those are their goals and as with their other goals they will abandon norms and laws to realize them. 1/
The only deterrents to men like Barr, McConnell, and Trump is the personal cost of taking any given step to stay in power. Going to jail or being unable to support themselves financially are the only operable disincentives. So ... 2/
...we have to protect the results of the Presidential race and fight for free and fair runoffs in GA in such a way that the only workable counterefforts by Barr, McConnell, and Trump would be likely to land them in jail (as they have too much money to fear destitution). 3/