Ethics or Ideology? Bar Associations and the Boundaries of Professional Discipline

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Across the country, bar associations are increasingly at the center of legal and political controversy. Recent disciplinary proceedings—such as efforts by the DC Bar to disbar Acting OIRA Administrator Jeffrey Clark, ethics complaints against Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Ninth Circuit Judge Lawrence VanDyke—have raised urgent questions about the line between professional regulation and ideological weaponization of legal licensing.
Are these proceedings neutral applications of ethical standards, or do they reflect growing pressure to use professional discipline as a political weapon? What procedural and constitutional safeguards exist to protect the federal government from state licensing authorities and to protect lawyers against viewpoint discrimination? Are these tools sufficient? How should courts, bar associations, and the legal academy understand their roles in preserving both public trust and ideological diversity within the profession?
Featuring:
James M. Burnham, Founder and Managing Partner, King Street Legal, PLLC
Michael Francisco, Partner, First & Fourteenth PLLC
Gene P. Hamilton, President & Co-Founder, America First Legal Foundation
Prof. Derek T. Muller, Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School
(Moderator) Prof. Denise M. Harle, Clinical Professor and Director of the First Amendment Clinic, Florida State University College of Law

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