USC Gould School of Law faculty co-wrote and signed a letter for Gould students on April 2 in response to the Trump administration’s recent executive actions targeting major law firms and attorneys. In the letter, the faculty wrote that these actions imperil the rule of law and legal precepts, fundamental functions of the American judicial system.
Signed by over 40 professors and faculty members, the letter, shared with Annenberg Media, expressed their “commitment to the rule of law: for people to be equal before it, and for its administration, by independent judges, to be impartial.”
Gould professor of law and philosophy Gregory Keating warned how dangerous these actions could be for the integrity of universities and the legal profession.
“It fits as what’s often called the autocrat’s playbook, which is attempting to break down parts of civil society that are a bulwark of democratic institutions,” Keating said. “The tactics that Trump is pursuing are a threat…and [it] doesn’t really have a precedent in American politics in my lifetime.”
The signatories followed in the footsteps of Harvard Law School faculty, who wrote a letter after their Dean refused to sign a similar letter among the deans at the top 10 law schools in the country.
Keating referred to the letter as “performative” and an accurate representation of all their views.
“We’re just saying what we think. We don’t have an impact on anything,” Keating said. “Just that these are very important values, that they’re values that the profession is committed to, and it’s important that they be upheld.”
He explained that student organizations did not feel comfortable distributing the letter to fellow peers given the current climate, and that the letter was not intended for action but rather a clear statement of views.
“Students are students. They are not in a position to do something,” Keating said. “They are not the partners at the major law firms who are making the big decision about older fights. Neither are we, we’re just teaching. We thought we should make it clear what we think are fundamental values of the profession, and that we subscribe to them, each of us.”