The Board of Directors approved the following issue statement at its December 11, 2025 meeting.
The Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia (WBA) takes seriously its mission to promote the administration of justice, maintain the honor and integrity of the profession, advance and protect the interests of women lawyers, promote our mutual improvement, and encourage a spirit of friendship. The WBA tasks itself with advocacy that fosters the rule of law and improves both the legal profession and society at large.
Our nation is a democratic republic in which the rule of law underlies the administration of justice. Pursuant to the founders’ theory of separation of powers, the co-equal legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government check and balance each other. For such a system to work, each branch must act in accordance with the powers set forth in the Constitution, appropriate statutes, and case law construing these powers. These safeguards are designed to ensure that our government is shielded from authoritarianism, the whims of any political party, or use for personal gain. Appropriating the powers of another branch of government is incompatible with our constitutional system.
The WBA opposes any attempts to circumvent the constitutional system, any attempts to deny due process, any retaliation against members of the legal profession raising constitutional challenges involving the government, and any efforts to retaliate against judges acting in their constitutional capacity to defend the rule of law. The WBA remains committed to upholding the rule of law through our ongoing programming and advocacy, each of which serve to uphold the rule of law and defend against challenges to our democracy.
Attorneys, as members of the self-governing legal profession, are simultaneously client representatives, officers of the legal system, and public citizens. We have special responsibilities to seek justice and to use our legal skills to society’s benefit. The WBA stands with the ABA and other bar associations in defending the rule of law.[1] Our Constitution and the future of our democracy demand it, and any attempt to deny due process imperils us all.
[1] The WBA has co-signed joint bar association statements in support of the rule of law, for example “In Defense of the Rule of Law and the Independence of the Legal Profession” spearheaded by the New York City Bar and the ABA’s March 26, 2025 joint statement in support of the rule of law.
[1] The WBA has co-signed joint bar association statements in support of the rule of law, for example “In Defense of the Rule of Law and the Independence of the Legal Profession” spearheaded by the New York City Bar and the ABA’s March 26, 2025 joint statement in support of the rule of law.