The right to vote is essential to a healthy democracy. One of the greatest threats to that democracy has been the continued false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. Despite a lack of credible evidence, some lawyers advanced those claims before courts and legislative bodies, violating their duty of honesty and candor. Several, including Rudolph Giuliani, lost their licenses to practice law.
I teach professional responsibility to mostly second-year law students at Suffolk University. A question I am often asked is whether lawyers can be ethical. My answer is yes, and most lawyers are. Yet the conduct of those who promoted baseless election fraud claims has forced me to reflect on whether the legal profession must do more to protect our democratic institutions.
For that reason, I will not hold class on Election Day in November. Instead, I have committed to serving as an election worker in my community, as I have done before, and I will encourage my students to do the same. In the class that follows, we will discuss what we saw and whether the experience affected our confidence in the electoral process.
Democracy is a participatory endeavor. We all have a responsibility to support and strengthen this vital institution of our Republic.
Robert V. Ward Jr.
Milton