Recent months have seen unprecedented attacks on legal institutions and the rule of law. Many law schools already have and are creating important programs and initiatives focused explicitly on the rule of law. To support and encourage these efforts, AALS is establishing a Rule of Law Clearinghouse in partnership with the American Bar Association’s Task Force for American Democracy, co-chaired by former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and former U.S. Court of Appeals Judge J. Michael Luttig.  

On this page, we offer scholarly articles, statements, podcasts, webinars, course syllabi, educational programs, centers and institutes, law school clinic activities, and more that focus specifically on challenges to the rule of law.  

Please contact [email protected] with any questions.  

News Articles/Op-Eds 

Statements/Resolutions 

 

Amicus Briefs

 

Podcasts/Webinars 

 

Courses/Syllabi 

  • Senior U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller, LAWYERS AND THE RULE OF LAW

The course is divided into five units: background, historic challenges and responses, international examples, lawyer and judicial ethics issues, and synthesizing and reflecting. The course culminates in a project that is each student’s personal action plan for advancing the rule of law. Possible projects include: a social media campaign, a short film, an event for the community, learning experiences for K-12 students touring the Kennedy Learning Center, etc.

A syllabus is available upon request to [email protected].

  • Michael Millemann, Jacob A. France Professor of Law, University of Maryland-Carey School of Law, Law and Social Change Seminar: The Lawyer’s Roles in Protecting Democracy and the Rule of Law

In this first year (second semester) elective, the focus is on how lawyers, working with many partners and in communities, can protect, are protecting, and are trying to protect democracy and the rule of law. An array of state and national democracy-protective leaders—lawyers and non-lawyers—have come into the classes to discuss the formidable challenges in their fields and what they are doing and planning to do to respond. Working largely in teams, the students take on democracy-protective projects and are writing major papers about them. Most of the topics are real-world projects referred to us by national and local advocacy organizations that advance democracy.

This course gives students regular opportunities for vicarious and some personal engagement in the efforts to preserve democracy and introduces them to the array of strategies—litigation (federal and state), legislation, rulemaking, community education, public education, etc.-that national and state leaders are using to protect the Rule of Law and Democracy. 

A syllabus is available upon request to: [email protected]