ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice 220d ago

Lawyers are traditionally viewed as defenders of democracy — but as Professor Scott Cummings powerfully explains, they can also be its architects of decline. In this Chair Chat, moderator Lauren Stiller Rikleen explores Cummings' new analysis of the "autocratic legal playbook," revealing how truth subversion, inverted realities, and manufactured distrust are being deployed to justify extraordinary executive power. Through examples ranging from immigration abuses to the weaponization of the Department of Justice, Cummings shows how legal forms, language, and institutional norms are being distorted to dismantle democratic guardrails — often with the active participation of lawyers themselves. Together, they examine how autocratic actors “launder” unlawful conduct through legal processes, attack the judiciary, and reshape the Department of Justice into a political tool — and what the profession must do to defend the rule of law while there is still time. Autocratic Legal Playbook: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5392409 Scott L. Cummings – Robert Henigson Professor of Legal Ethics, UCLA School of Law Lauren Stiller Rikleen (Moderator) – Executive Director, Lawyers Defending American Democracy; Past Chair, ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice -- During the 2025–26 Bar Year, Section Chair Mario A. Sullivan continues CRSJ’s Chair Chat – bringing together leading lawyers, scholars, advocates, and organizers to tackle the most urgent civil rights and rule-of-law issues and share practical strategies for impact. New episodes premiere every other Thursday at 2:00 p.m. ET on our YouTube channel. Subscribe for updates and catch past conversations on-demand. Learn more about CRSJ Chair Chat: https://www.americanbar.org/groups/crsj/resources/on-demand/chair-chat/