January 12, 2021

We are deans of a diverse range of law schools across the country. We do not use our positions to advance our individual views. But we do have an obligation to support the rule of law and preserve the integrity of the legal profession. On rare occasions, despite our differing situations and views, that obligation requires us to speak as one to defend the fundamental commitments of our profession. This is such a moment.

The violent attack on the Capitol was an assault on our democracy and the rule of law. The effort to disrupt the certification of a free and fair election was a betrayal of the core values that undergird our Constitution. Lives were lost, the seat of our democracy was desecrated, and our country was shamed.

Many lawyers and judges worked honestly and in good faith, often in the face of considerable political pressure, to ensure the 2020 election was free and fair. However, we recognize with dismay and sorrow that some lawyers challenged the outcome of the election with claims that they did not support with facts or evidence. This betrayed the values of our profession. Our profession demands that when lawyers pursue legal action, they must bring claims in good faith, grounded in facts and evidence, and demonstrate respect for the legal system. Only then can lawyers fulfill their responsibilities as lawyers and public citizens to promote public confidence in the rule of law and the justice system — duties that extend to all professional activities, whether lawyers are representing a client or not. The rule of law is as much a touchstone of our profession as it is of our Constitution.

As law deans, our mission is to train the next generation of leaders to uphold the core values of our profession and sustain the rule of law. This should be a moment of reflection for legal educators and members of the legal profession. A sustained effort will be necessary to repair and preserve our precious democratic institutions. As legal educators and lawyers ourselves, we must redouble our efforts to restore faith in the rule of law and the ideals of the legal profession. We have enormous faith in the law’s enduring values and in our students, who will soon lead this profession. We call upon all members of the legal profession to join us in the vital work ahead.

Signed,

Alicia Ouellette
President and Dean
Albany Law School

Robert Dinerstein
Acting Dean and Professor of Law
American University, Washington College of Law

Jace C. Gatewood
Dean and CEO Atlanta's John Marshall Law School

Melanie Leslie
Dean and Samuel Belkin Professor of Law
Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University

Vincent Rougeau
Dean and Professor
Boston College Law School

Angela Onwuachi-Willig
Dean and Professor of Law
Boston University School of Law

Michael T. Cahill
President, Joseph Crea Dean & Professor of Law
Brooklyn Law School

Sean M. Scott
President and Dean
California Western School of Law

J. Rich Leonard
Dean
Campbell Law School

Reynaldo Anaya Valencia
Dean and Professor of Law
Capital University Law School

Matt Parlow
Dean and Donald P. Kennedy Chair in Law
Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law

Anita K. Krug
Dean and Professor
Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology

Charles H. Rose III
Dean and Professor of Law
Claude W. Pettit College of Law, Ohio Northern University

Lee Fisher
Dean and Joseph C. Hostetler-BakerHostetler Chair in Law
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Cleveland State University

Gillian Lester
Dean and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law
Columbia Law School

Jens David Ohlin
Interim Dean & Professor of Law
Cornell Law School

Joshua P. Fershée
Dean and Professor of Law
Creighton University School of Law

Henry C. Strickland
Dean
Cumberland School of Law, Samford University

Mary Lu Bilek
Dean and Professor of Law
CUNY School of Law

Rodney A. Smolla
Dean & Professor of Law
Delaware Law School, Widener University

Jennifer Rosato Perea
Dean and Professor
DePaul University College of Law

Jerry L. Anderson
Dean and Richard M. and Anita Calkins Distinguished Professor of Law
Drake University Law School

Kerry Abrams
James B. Duke and Benjamin N. Duke Dean and Professor of Law
Duke University School of Law

April M. Barton
Dean and Professor of Law
Duquesne University School of Law

Leticia M. Diaz
Dean and Professor of Law
Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law, Barry University

Horace Anderson
Dean and Professor of Law
Elisabeth Haub School of Law, Pace University

Luke Bierman
Dean and Professor of Law
Elon University School of Law

Mary Anne Bobinski
Dean and Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law
Emory University School of Law

Deidré A. Keller
Dean and Professor of Law
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University College of Law

C. Peter Goplerud
Dean and Professor of Law
Florida Coastal School of Law

Antony Page
Dean & FIU Foundation Professor of Law
Florida International University College of Law

Erin O’Hara O'Connor
Dean and McKenzie Professor of Law
Florida State University College of Law

Matthew Diller
Dean and Paul Fuller Professor of Law
Fordham University School of Law

William M. Treanor
Dean & Executive Vice President
Georgetown Law

Leslie E. Wolf
Interim Dean and Distinguished University Professor
Georgia State University College of Law

Eric C. Christiansen
Dean of the Law School (Interim, 2020-21), Professor of Law
Golden Gate University, School of Law

Jacob Rooksby
Dean and Professor of Law
Gonzaga University School of Law

John F. Manning
Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor of Law
Harvard Law School

Danielle Holley-Walker
Dean and Professor of Law
Howard University School of Law

Austen Parrish
Dean and James H. Rudy Professor of Law
Indiana University Maurer School of Law

Karen E. Bravo
Dean and Professor of Law
Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law

Gordon Smith
Dean and Woodruff J. Deem Professor of Law
J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University

Jennifer J. Johnson
Dean and Erskine Wood Sr. Professor of Law
Lewis and Clark Law School

Matthew R. Lyon
Vice President & Dean
Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law

Colin Crawford
Dean and Professor of Law
Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, University of Louisville

Lee Ann Wheelis Lockridge
Interim Dean and Professor of Law
Louisiana State University Law Center

Michael Waterstone
Dean and Professor of Law
Loyola Law School, Los Angeles

Michael J. Kaufman
Dean and Professor of Law
Loyola University Chicago School of Law

Madeleine M. Landrieu
Dean and Judge Adrian G. Duplantier Distinguished Professor of Law
Loyola University New Orleans College of Law

Gail Prudenti
Dean
Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University

Cathy Cox
Dean and Professor of Law
Mercer University School of Law

Lincoln L. Davies
Dean & Frank R. Strong Chair in Law
Michael E. Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State University

Melanie B. Jacobs
Interim Dean & Professor of Law
Michigan State University College of Law

Patricia Bennett
Dean & Professor of Law
Mississippi College School of Law

Anthony Niedwiecki
President and Dean
Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Scott P. Brown
President and Dean
New England Law/Boston

Anthony W. Crowell
Dean and President
New York Law School

Trevor Morrison
Dean and Eric M. and Laurie B. Roth Professor of Law
New York University School of Law

James Hackney
Dean and Professor of Law
Northeastern University School of Law

Cassandra L. Hill
Dean and Professor of Law
Northern Illinois University College of Law

James Speta
Interim Dean
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

José Roberto (Beto) Juárez, Jr.
Dean and Professor of Law
Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law

Jim Roth
Dean and Professor of Law
Oklahoma City University School of Law

Danielle M. Conway
Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law
Penn State Dickinson Law

Hari M. Osofsky
Dean, Penn State Law and Penn State School of International Affairs
Distinguished Professor of Law, Professor of International Affairs, and Professor of Geography

Paul L. Caron
Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean and Professor of Law
Pepperdine University Rick J. Caruso School of Law

Fernando Moreno Orama
Dean
Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico

Jennifer Gerarda Brown
Dean and Professor of Law
Quinnipiac University School of Law

Gregory W. Bowman
Dean & Professor of Law
Roger Williams University School of Law

David Lopez
Co-Dean & Professor of Law
Rutgers Law School

Kimberly M. Mutcherson
Co-Dean & Professor of Law
Rutgers Law School

Elizabeth Kronk Warner
Dean
S.J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah

William P. Johnson
Dean and Professor of Law
Saint Louis University School of Law

Judith Daar
Ambassador Patricia L. Herbold Dean and Professor of Law
Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University

Douglas J. Sylvester
Dean and Professor of Law
Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University

Anna M. Han
Interim Dean
Santa Clara University School of Law

Camille M. Davidson
Dean and Professor of Law
School of Law, Southern Illinois University

Martin H. Brinkley
Dean and Arch T. Allen Distinguished Professor
School of Law, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Annette E. Clark
Dean and Professor of Law
Seattle University School of Law

Kathleen M. Boozang
Dean and Professor of Law
Seton Hall University School of Law

Jennifer M. Collins
Judge James Noel Dean and Professor of Law
SMU Dedman School of Law

John Pierre
Chancellor
Southern University Law Center

Susan Westerberg Prager
President and Dean
Southwestern Law School

Michael A. Simons
Dean and John V. Brennan Professor of Law
St. John’s University School of Law

Jenny S. Martinez
Richard E. Lang Professor of Law & Dean
Stanford Law School

Michèle Alexandre
Dean and Professor of Law
Stetson University College of Law

Andrew Perlman
Dean & Professor of Law
Suffolk University Law School

Craig M. Boise
Dean and Professor of Law
Syracuse University College of Law

Gregory N. Mandel
Dean & Peter J. Liacouras Professor of Law
Temple University, Beasley School of Law

Dayna Bowen
Matthew Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law
The George Washington University Law School

Christopher J. (C.J.) Peters
Dean and C. Blake McDowell, Jr. Professor of Law
The University of Akron School of Law

Mark E. Brandon
Dean and Thomas E. McMillan Professor of Law
The University of Alabama School of Law

Katharine Traylor Schaffzin
Dean & Professor of Law
The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law

Sergio Pareja
Dean
The University of New Mexico School of Law

Benjamin Barros
Dean and Professor of Law
The University of Toledo College of Law

Lyn Suzanne Entzeroth
Dean and Dean John Rogers Endowed Chair
The University of Tulsa College of Law

Daniel M. Filler
Dean and Professor of Law
Thomas R. Kline School of Law, Drexel University

Elena B. Langan
Dean and Professor of Law
Touro Law Center

David D. Meyer
Dean and Mitchell Franklin Professor of Law
Tulane University Law School

Theresa Beiner
Dean & Nadine Baum Distinguished Professor of Law
UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law

Kevin R. Johnson
Dean
UC Davis School of Law

Jennifer L. Mnookin
Dean and Ralph and Shirley Shapiro Professor of Law
UCLA School of Law

Darby Dickerson
Dean and Professor of Law
UIC John Marshall Law School, The University of Illinois at Chicago

Barbara Glesner Fines
Dean & Rubey M. Hulen Professor of Law
UMKC School of Law

Aviva Abramovsky
Dean and Professor of Law
University at Buffalo School of Law, The State University of New York

Marc L. Miller
Dean & Ralph W. Bilby Professor of Law
University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law

Margaret Sova McCabe
Dean & Professor of Law
University of Arkansas School of Law

Ronald Weich
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Baltimore School of Law

David L. Faigman
Chancellor & Dean and John F. Digardi Distinguished Professor of Law
University of California Hastings College of the Law

Erwin Chemerinsky
Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law
University of California, Berkeley School of Law

L. Song Richardson
Dean and Chancellor’s Professor of Law
University of California, Irivine School of Law

Thomas J. Miles
Dean and Clifton R. Musser Professor of Law and Economics
University of Chicago Law School

Verna L. Williams
Dean and Nippert Professor of Law
University of Cincinnati College of Law

S. James Anaya
Dean and University Distinguished Professor
University of Colorado Law School

Eboni S. Nelson
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Connecticut School of Law

Andrew Strauss
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Dayton School of Law

Bruce P. Smith
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Denver Sturm College of Law

Phyllis L. Crocker
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Detroit Mercy School of Law

Laura Ann Rosenbury
Dean and Levin, Mabie & Levin Professor of Law
University of Florida Levin College of Law

Peter B. Rutledge
Dean
University of Georgia School of Law

Camille A. Nelson
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, William S. Richardson School of Law

Leonard M. Baynes
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Houston Law Center

Jerrold Long
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Idaho College of Law

Vikram David Amar
Dean and Iwan Foundation Professor of Law
University of Illinois College of Law

Stephen W. Mazza
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Kansas School of Law

Mary J. Davis
Dean and Ashland-Spears Distinguished Research Professor of Law
University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law

Donald B. Tobin
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law

Eric J. Mitnick
Dean & Professor of Law
University of Massachusetts School of Law

Anthony E. Varona
Dean and M. Minnette Massey Professor of Law
University of Miami School of Law

Mark D. West
Dean and Nippon Life Professor of Law
University of Michigan Law School

Garry W. Jenkins
Dean & William S. Pattee Professor of Law
University of Minnesota Law School

Susan H. Duncan
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Mississippi

Lyrissa Lidsky
Dean & Judge C.A. Leedy Professor of Law
University of Missouri School of Law

Richard Moberly
Dean and Richard C. & Catherine S. Schmoker Professor of Law
University of Nebraska College of Law

Daniel W. Hamilton
Dean & Richard J. Morgan Professor of Law
University of Nevada, Las Vegas William S. Boyd School of Law

Megan Carpenter
Dean and Professor of Law
University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law

Michael S. McGinniss
Dean and Professor of Law
University of North Dakota School of Law

Katheleen R. Guzman
Interim Dean and Professor
University of Oklahoma College of Law

Marcilynn A. Burke
Dean and Dave Frohnmayer Chair in Leadership and Law
University of Oregon School of Law

Theodore W. Ruger
Dean and Bernard G. Segal Professor of Law
University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School

Amy J. Wildermuth
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Pittsburgh School of Law

Vivian I. Neptune
Dean
University of Puerto Rico School of Law

Wendy C. Perdue
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Richmond School of Law

Robert Schapiro
Dean and Professor of Law
University of San Diego School of Law

Susan H. Freiwald
Dean and Professor of Law
University of San Francisco School of Law

William C. Hubbard
Dean and Professor of Law
University of South Carolina School of Law

Neil Fulton
Dean
University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law

Andrew T. Guzman
Dean and Carl Mason Franklin Chair in Law, and Professor of Law and Political Science
University of Southern California Gould School of Law

Robert K. Vischer
Dean and Mengler Chair in Law
University of St. Thomas School of Law

Douglas Blaze
Interim Dean and Art Stolnitz and E.O. Overton Professor of Law
University of Tennessee College of Law

Renée McDonald Hutchins
Dean & Rauh Chair of Public Interest Law
University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law

Michael Hunter Schwartz
Dean and Professor of Law
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law

Risa Goluboff
Dean and Arnold H. Leon Professor of Law and Professor of History
University of Virginia School of Law

Mario L. Barnes
Toni Rembe Dean and Professor of Law
University of Washington School of Law

Daniel P. Tokaji
Fred W. & Vi Miller Dean and Professor of Law
University of Wisconsin Law School

Klint Alexander
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Wyoming College of Law

Chris Guthrie
Dean
Vanderbilt Law School

Thomas McHenry
President and Dean
Vermont Law School

Mark C. Alexander
Arthur J. Kania Dean and Professor of Law
Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law

Jane H. Aiken
Dean and Professor of Law
Wake Forest Law School

Carla D. Pratt
Dean and Professor of Law
Washburn University School of Law

Brant J. Hellwig
Dean and Professor of Law
Washington and Lee University School of Law

Nancy Staudt
Dean and Howard & Caroline Cayne Distinguished Professor of Law
Washington University School of Law

Richard A. Bierschbach
Dean and Professor of Law
Wayne State University Law School

James McGrath
Dean and President
Western Michigan University Cooley Law School

Sudha Setty
Dean and Professor of Law
Western New England University School of Law

Allen K. Easley
Dean & Professor of Law
Western State College of Law at Westcliff University

Brian Gallini
Dean & Professor of Law
Willamette University College of Law

A. Benjamin Spencer
Dean & Chancellor Professor
William & Mary Law School

John E. Taylor
Interim Dean and Jackson Kelly Professor of Law
WVU College of Law

Heather K. Gerken
Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law
Yale Law School