A Message to My Law Students About Recent Events

Like me, you were no doubt shocked and saddened to witness the tragic confrontation that took place yesterday at the Capitol building. 

It was tragic for so many reasons. It was tragic to see that so many people had become convinced that violence was an appropriate political response. It was tragic because those people were encouraged, directly or indirectly, to do so at the highest levels of government. It was tragic because people lost their lives and others were forced to take lives. It was tragic because it was an assault on our democracy and on the principles that underlie it. And it was tragic because it exposed just how vulnerable our republic and our government are, literally and metaphorically.

But I believe there are hopeful messages to take away from the events of the last 24 hours. First and foremost, the rioters did not accomplish their aims. They merely delayed a constitutionally mandated step toward the orderly transition of power by a matter of hours. They fought against the Constitution, and the Constitution won.

Legal education matters, today more than ever.

Moreover, in a poetic irony, the assault on the Capitol appears to have done more to unify the nation in opposition to the excesses of extremism than anything in years--perhaps, I dare say, since 9/11. Many prominent politicians, whatever their political persuasion and whether they opposed or supported the outgoing president, readily agreed on one thing: that the protesters went too far, and that what they did was unlawful, undemocratic, un-American, and unacceptable. We can only hope, as these events recede from the fog of immediacy to the distance of history, that it is this lesson about essential shared principles that becomes the legacy of yesterday's fiasco.

There is another lesson more particularly relevant to our law school community. It is that the rule of law, which many of us had the luxury of taking for granted for so long, is a vital principle that is not merely sustained by its own momentum, but instead requires the perpetual and active reaffirmation by each of us. In other words, the law matters and legal education matters, today more than ever.

By pursuing your legal education and aspiring to enter and internalize the norms of the legal profession, you are not just broadening your job prospects or boosting your earning potential. You are participating in and promoting the elevation of the rule of law, and thereby strengthening the very fabric of our nation. With the stress of deadlines and the pressures of day-to-day life, it is easy to lose sight of this fundamental fact. But we must never forget it. 

I am proud to be a part of this community, and proud to be part of a country that has risen above this challenge as it has so many others. If, like me, you've found it difficult to concentrate on your work, I hope you can at least find some measure of comfort in these words.