Denver lawyers protest Trump administration’s attack on rule of law
About 200 attorneys, public defenders, judges and other defenders of the U.S. Constitution stood on the steps of the Denver District Courthouse on Thursday afternoon as part of state and nationwide demonstrations, calling to defend the legal system that they say has fallen under attack by the Trump administration.
The protest was held on Colorado Law Day, an annual observance that typically celebrates the role that courts and the legal system play to bring justice, restrain power and protect those who are subject to abuse.
But more than just celebrate, the crowd Thursday was called together to “fight loudly” and “stubbornly” to protect the judiciary system that the country was founded upon, Denver District Attorney John Walsh said.
“When the rules don’t matter … when instead, what we have are the ever-changing whims of a person who claims to run the United States… no one is safe,” said Walsh, a Democrat.
“Voters, nonvoters, citizens, noncitizens, young, old, Republicans, Independents and Democrats —no one is safe if the rules don’t matter.”
Walsh joined about a dozen other Colorado lawyers with decades of experience practicing the law, including former Denver District Attorney Beth McCann, retired Denver County and District Court Judges Gary Jackson and Michael Martinez, and other criminal defense attorneys and civil rights and employment lawyers.
Many read sections of the Constitution to the crowd while calling out President Donald Trump’s executive actions that have posed unprecedented challenges to the country’s legal system.
Attorney General Phil Weiser, who has filed 15 lawsuits to block actions by the Trump administration, was also in attendance.
People in the crowd held handmade signs that read: “Rule of Law Protects Us All,” “USA has a rule of law, not a king” and “All Lies Matter.”
The president’s calls for judges to be impeached have caused a growing number of citizens to distrust the judiciary system, said McCann, who retired earlier this year after eight years as Denver’s chief prosecutor.
“As lawyers, we are trained to believe in the process, in due process, in the Constitution, in our laws, and we respect our three branches of government. We actually have a reason to have an independent judiciary that was established in our Constitution and we are seeing that independence tested in ways never seen before, in my opinion,” she said.
“The flagrant disregard of rulings of the judiciary and calls for judges to resign or be impeached because the president disagrees with them — that’s undermining our very faith in our judiciary and our rule of law,” she said.
She condemned Trump’s pardons of those convicted of crimes during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, including violent offenders.
“I am going to continue to put my faith in our judiciary and in our rule of law, and I’m going to implore our judiciary members to stand strong. We will support our judicial branch and we will continue to uphold the law.”
The rule of law hasn’t always been on the right side of history and has been used as a tool of oppression, Joyce Akhahenda, chief deputy at the Office of State Public Defenders told the crowd. Leaders fought to change laws to ensure justice and protection, she said.
“All of that is under attack now,” Akhahenda said.
“For many Black people and oppressed groups, this is deja vu. This uphill battle is nothing new, and as I can say, as a public defender, I’m used to fighting uphill battles and obstacles that are heavily stacked against us, so we call upon those in the legal community to stand strong,” she said.
Similar demonstrations were held around the state, as well as on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., to defend judicial independence and the legal profession.
In Denver, the crowd cheered between calls to defend the Constitution and readings from former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner, before dispersing after an hour as rain moved in.
“Due process of law is the crown jewel of America. It is under absolute attack,” defense attorney David Lane said to the crowd from under an umbrella.
“That’s why you’re all here, to fight not for the reality of America, we need to fight for what that pledge of allegiance stands for, which is aspirational America. Every single person in this entire protest fights for what America should be and can be if we just keep fighting long enough.”