Four hundred years ago, William Shakespeare wrote an oft-misunderstood phrase: “The first thing we do is, let’s kill all the lawyers.” As Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens understood, this phrase was likely not meant to disparage lawyers, but a recognition of the crucial role of lawyers in preserving the rule of law. In his interpretation of the phrase, memorialized in the 1985 case Walters v. Radiation Survivors, “Shakespeare insightfully realized that disposing of lawyers is a step in the direction of a totalitarian form of government.”
For centuries, people have understood that lawyers are a critical tool for upholding the rule of law and preserving democracy. It is clear that the second Trump administration understands this well. And so it is unsurprising that the first president to amass felony convictions in his post-presidency is determined to force the legal profession into subservience. Trump and his allies realize that undermining the legal infrastructure of the nation is critical to their plan to build an authoritarian regime in the United States. Whether it succeeds or not will depend on whether the nation’s leading lawyers have the fortitude and moral clarity to stand up for democracy, justice and the rule of law.
