In a letter sent to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary ahead of an oversight hearing of Attorney General Pamela Bondi, Amnesty International USA has raised serious concerns about the threat to the rule of law, and human rights, under the Trump administration.
The letter outlines actions by the executive branch, including the Department of Justice, that undermine the rule of law, threaten the independence of the judiciary, intimidate legal professionals, punish dissent, and interfere with due process and the fair administration of justice. For example, the Trump administration has:
- unilaterally steamrolled, usurped, or bypassed the judicial process;
- attempted to curb the power of the courts by calling for the impeachment of judges, flouting and avoiding compliance with court orders, and seeking to block the authority of courts to issue temporary orders; and,
- chilled the practice of lawyers and the operation of bar associations by threatening lawyers, law firms and associations with investigations and sanctions, and firing prosecutors if not sufficiently loyal.
“The rule of law is essential to ensuring that human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled, said Amanda Klasing, National Director of Government Relations and Advocacy with Amnesty International USA. “These deeply troubling actions are an attack on the rule of law and human rights, and Congress must not allow them to continue.”
Included in the letter are various questions for the Judiciary Committee to pose to Attorney General Bondi during the hearing, including on the arbitrary firing of career justice department employees, the targeting and intimidation of federal judges, defiance of court orders, and threats to bar associations and law firms.
The letter urges the Senate to “take all possible steps to reaffirm the independence of the judicial branch, the protection of judges, lawyers and judicial workers, and the legitimacy of the judicial branch to hold the executive in check to prevent human rights violations and the miscarriage of justice.”
“The Trump administration is eroding the foundations of justice and the rule of law,” said Klasing. “Congress must act now to hold this administration accountable.”
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