Stories in the ABA Journal and Law.com cover a recent letter sent by former and current law deans to “former judges John E. Jones III, from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and Shira A. Scheindlin, from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, who led the initiative for the principles through Keep Our Republic to defend the rule of law.”

Eighty-eight current and former law school deans have endorsed the “Principles for the Independence of the Legal Profession,” drafted by a bipartisan group of former judges, that emphasizes the need for an independent judiciary and legal profession.

The deans are “opposed to efforts that would punish lawyers or their firms based on the identity of their clients or for their lawful and ethical advocacy,” according to the June 1 letter sent to Keep Our Republic, a nonpartisan civic education organization.

The Principles set out basic, non-partisan principles around professional independence, including the necessity of “a robust and independent bar . . . [the] effective functioning of the independent judiciary… [the promotion] of the availability of competent counsel for all parties, without regard to interest, ideology, popular support, or government disfavor” and support for the rule of law. The Deans Letter followed a six-part webinar series hosted by the Association of American Law Schools that occurred this spring. As the Law.com article explains “The series included discussion of the executive orders and federal investigations focused on law firms, proposed baseline principles for professional independence, judicial independence and the rule of law, along with separation of powers and constraints on the executive, according to AALS.”

As Law.com notes: “The principles include a form for endorsement on the webpage for Keep Our Republic, which was founded in 2020 as a ‘civic education organization committed to the vitality of America’s democracy by promoting trust in elections, the rule of law and constitutional checks and balances.’”

Julianne Hill, 88 Law School Deans Unite to Support Professional Independence, ABA Journal, June 4, 2026; Christine Charnosky, Law Deans Stand Up for Protecting the Rule of Law in the Legal Profession, June 8, 2026. See also Ajani Stella, Treanor, 87 Law Deans Back Open Letter for Legal Independence, The Hoya, June 6, 2026 (article from Georgetown University’s newspaper).