American Bar Association president criticizes Trump for not following the Rule of Law; Major media fail to cover the story
Where are the Edward R. Murrows, the James Restons, and the Tom Wickers of the world when we need them?
BACKGROUND
1) William R. Bay,”ABA: Trump team’s ‘wide-scale affronts to the rule of law’ weaken America,” Erie Times News/MSN,February 10, 2025;
2) Sara Boboltz “American Bar Association Says Trump Is Not Following The Rule Of Law; “No American can be proud of a government that carries out change in this way,” the group’s president wrote in a searing statement, HUFF POST, Febuary 11, 2025 (12:42 PM EST);
The president of the ABA has denounced President Trump and his administration for not following the Rule of Law.
Excerpts from ABA President William R. Bay’s statement follow:
The American Bar Association released this statement in support of the rule on law on Feb. 10, 2025.
Excerpts
It has been three weeks since Inauguration Day. Most Americans recognize that newly elected leaders bring change. That is expected. But most Americans also expect that changes will take place in accordance with the rule of law and in an orderly manner that respects the lives of affected individuals and the work they have been asked to perform.
Instead, we see wide-scale affronts to the rule of law itself, such as attacks on constitutionally protected birthright citizenship, the dismantling of USAID and the attempts to criminalize those who support lawful programs to eliminate bias and enhance diversity.
We have seen attempts at wholesale dismantling of departments and entities created by Congress without seeking the required congressional approval to change the law. There are efforts to dismiss employees with little regard for the law and protections they merit, and social media announcements that disparage and appear to be motivated by a desire to inflame without any stated factual basis. This is chaotic. It may appeal to a few. But it is wrong. And most Americans recognize it is wrong. It is also contrary to the rule of law.
The American Bar Association supports the rule of law. That means holding governments, including our own, accountable under law. We stand for a legal process that is orderly and fair. We have consistently urged the administrations of both parties to adhere to the rule of law. We stand in that familiar place again today. And we do not stand alone. Our courts stand for the rule of law as well
…
(R)efusing to spend money appropriated by Congress under the euphemism of a pause is a violation of the rule of law and suggests that the executive branch can overrule the other two co-equal branches of government. This is contrary to the constitutional framework and not the way our democracy works. The money appropriated by Congress must be spent in accordance with what Congress has said. It cannot be changed or paused because a newly elected administration desires it. Our elected representatives know this. The lawyers of this country know this. It must stop.
There is much that Americans disagree on, but all of us expect our government to follow the rule of law, protect due process and treat individuals in a way that we would treat others in our homes and workplaces. The ABA does not oppose any administration. Instead, we remain steadfast in our support for the rule of law.
We call upon our elected representatives to stand with us and to insist upon adherence to the rule of law and the legal processes and procedures that ensure orderly change. The administration cannot choose which law it will follow or ignore. These are not partisan or political issues. These are rule of law and process issues. We cannot afford to remain silent. We must stand up for the values we hold dear. The ABA will do its part and act to protect the rule of law.
We urge every attorney to join us and insist that our government, a government of the people, follow the law. It is part of the oath we took when we became lawyers. Whatever your political party or your views, change must be made in the right way. Americans expect no less.
William R. Bay is the president of the American Bar Association
As of 9:00 p.m. EST on February 11, neither the Washington Post nor the New York Times had posted a story about the ABA president’s statement.
Do the editors at the Washington Post even know what the American Bar Association is?
Or do they have instructions to limit the articles critical of Trump that they print? Since Jeff Bezos’s interference in the editorial process at the Post, one must always suspect the paper is pulling its punches when it comes to Trump.
See,
Jennifer Rubin, “I Have Resigned from The Washington Post, effective today; Why I left to help launch a vibrant, new, independent media outlet, The Contrarian, January 13, 2025.
Do the editors at the New York Times even know what the American Bar Association is?
See,
Paul Krugman, “Leaving the New York Times; The full story,” Paul Krugman (Substack), January 28, 2025.
Our leading newspapers appear to pulling their punches when it comes to Trump. This is manifested in stories they don’t cover, the calm way in which they report outrageous developments in an ongoing coup d’état, or autogolpe (self coup), and in the lack of investigative journalism that explains what us going on with Trump’s and Musk’s ongoing efforts to overthrow the Constitutional order and the rule of law.
In an earlier time, these newspapers would have been all over a statement by the president of the American Bar Association that the President was not following the Rule of Law.
As lamentable as this situation is to a longtime reader and fan of the Times, since Vietnam and Watergate, we must now look also to alternative news sources such as The Contrarian to get the full range of news, analysis, and opinion we need in order to defend and sustain our democracy.
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James Rowles is a former Lecturer on Law at Harv Law School and professor of international law at other universities.
He studied the history of Nazi Germany at Stanford, and has studied and worked on human rights, judicial reform, and access to justice projects in many countries in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and in Afghanistan and Russia. At Harvard Law School, he taught a course on “Law, Human Rights, and the Struggle for Democracy in Latin America”.
At the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the OAS, he worked on human rights cases involving forced disappearances, executions, and torture in a number of authoritarian countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Recent Books by the Author
James P. Rowles, The Rape of American Democracy: Republican Actions and Democratic Failures, 2016-2021 (2024). Available on Amazon, and from IngramSpark by clicking on a link here.
James P. Rowles, Don’t Be Stupid. Pay Attention, Damn It! Advice for Undecided Voters and Voters Leaning Toward Trump (2024). Available on Amazon,and from IngramSpark by clicking on a link here.
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