Most Americans will never file a bar complaint or write an amicus brief. That does not mean the fight over the rule of law happens somewhere above your pay grade. It happens in state bar disciplinary offices, in federal district courts, in rulemaking dockets, in city council chambers, and in the ordinary decisions business owners and operators make every day. Whether you are negotiating a commercial lease, contesting a regulatory compliance citation, or planning a multi-unit hospitality expansion, you operate within a legal framework that depends entirely on stable institutions and predictable rules.
Institutions that matter to your business do not defend themselves. They are sustained by people who show up when it is inconvenient, who read filings before forming opinions, and who understand that the rule of law is the invisible infrastructure of the commercial economy. Lawyers Defending American Democracy exists to make sure members of the legal profession speak up when that infrastructure is tested. Here is a clear look at who they are, what they have accomplished, where their work is contested, and why their mission matters to anyone building an enterprise in the Bay Area and beyond.
Who They Are and Where They Came From
Lawyers Defending American Democracy is a national coalition of lawyers organized as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit [1]. Founded in January 2019, the organization was born out of a profound frustration among senior members of the legal profession who watched institutional norms erode while bar associations and large law firms remained cautious.
Scott Harshbarger, a former Middlesex District Attorney, a two-term Massachusetts Attorney General, and a past national president of Common Cause, laid out the foundational critique in an essay for his Harvard Law School class reunion [2]. He argued that the leaders of the bar were sitting on their hands. A classmate, Gershon Ratner, joined him to build an organization designed to bypass institutional caution. Ratner brought decades of public interest legal experience, including serving as Associate General Counsel for Litigation at HUD and co-founding the D.C. Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.
Today, Lauren Stiller Rikleen serves as executive director. She is a former president of the Boston Bar Association, an ABA Margaret Brent Award recipient, and an established voice on professional ethics and leadership. Operating on a lean annual budget of roughly a quarter million dollars with a single part-time operations manager, the organization relies almost entirely on volunteer labor from retired judges, former attorneys general, law professors, and practicing attorneys across the country [2].
The Eight Pillars of Democratic Governance
In 2019, the organization defined eight core pillars that guide every action it takes. These principles provide an objective standard for evaluating their initiatives:
- The rule of law
- Institutional checks and balances
- The separation of powers
- The independence, integrity, and role of the media
- The independence, integrity, competence, and non-partisanship of the judiciary
- Truthfulness of public officials
- The independence and non-partisanship of federal criminal justice and intelligence agencies
- Civil discourse and fair treatment, including respect for the rights and dignity of all individuals
This framework matters because it grounds the organization's advocacy in constitutional mechanics rather than partisan preference. It provides a measurable benchmark for holding both public officials and members of the legal profession accountable to their oaths [1].
Five Lines of Effort in Action
LDAD operates through five distinct channels designed to mobilize the legal community and defend democratic norms [2]:
- Ethics complaints: Filing formal grievances against attorneys who violate state Rules of Professional Conduct in matters concerning the administration of justice.
- Amicus briefs: Submitting friend-of-the-court briefs in pivotal cases involving the separation of powers, due process, and judicial independence.
- Public letters and calls to action: Galvanizing lawyers nationwide to take collective public stands on critical constitutional questions.
- The Meeting the Moment initiative: Building state-level networks, student chapters, and rapid response teams equipped with toolkits and educational resources.
- Public education: Publishing webinars, op-eds, toolkits, and guides to demystify constitutional principles for everyday citizens.
A Track Record of Concrete Outcomes
Advocacy groups often issue statements that fade into the background noise of the news cycle. LDAD has focused on actions that produce measurable institutional results.
In January 2021, following the events at the U.S. Capitol, LDAD filed a comprehensive ethics complaint against Rudolph Giuliani with the New York bar, co-signed by 7,500 individuals. His law license was suspended that June. In October 2022, LDAD filed a complaint against Kenneth Chesebro, leading to his disbarment in New York in June 2025, with the court panel noting that his conduct struck at the heart of the administration of justice. Similarly, following a 2021 complaint regarding Jeffrey Clark and his post-election efforts at the Department of Justice, the D.C. Board of Professional Responsibility recommended disbarment in July 2025 [2].
On the litigation front, LDAD has contributed to significant legal victories through amicus briefs. In LULAC v. Executive Office of the President, LDAD filed a brief challenging an executive order that would have imposed documentary proof of citizenship requirements on federal voter registration forms. The federal district court ruled that the requirement violated the separation of powers and permanently enjoined it. In Trump v. Newsom, LDAD joined other legal ethics groups to file a brief arguing that National Guard deployments violated the Posse Comitatus Act, resulting in a favorable district court ruling [2].
Where the Work Runs Into Walls
An honest assessment of any legal advocacy group must include its setbacks. Accountability through professional licensing boards is notoriously slow and heavily dependent on institutions facing immense political pressure.
In Florida, LDAD petitioned the state supreme court for a writ of mandamus after the Florida Bar refused to investigate Attorney General Pam Bondi, taking the position that it does not discipline sitting constitutional officers while in office. In October 2025, the court rejected the petition on standing grounds, a ruling critics note effectively shields top legal officers from bar oversight during their tenure. In New York, an ethics complaint filed against Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche met initial resistance when the chief grievance attorney declined to open an investigation, prompting LDAD and allied groups to file a formal request for reconsideration [2].
These challenges illustrate the limits of professional self-regulation, but they also underscore why independent civic oversight is necessary.
Why This Matters to Bay Area Operators and Entrepreneurs
It is fair to ask how national legal ethics campaigns connect to the daily reality of running a restaurant, launching a startup, or managing a hospitality group in the Bay Area. The connection is direct and structural.
Commercial enterprise cannot exist in a vacuum. When you sign a ten-year lease, negotiate supplier contracts with UNFI or regional distributors, navigate local health department permitting, or manage complex compliance obligations under California labor law, you rely entirely on a functioning legal system. You trust that contracts are enforceable, that regulatory agencies follow established administrative procedures, and that courts remain impartial arbiters of disputes.
When the rule of law is undermined at any level of government, commercial certainty begins to fray. Unpredictable regulatory overreach, politicized administrative enforcement, and the erosion of institutional checks and balances create an unstable operating environment. Business owners spend less time building great products and great guest experiences and more time managing legal volatility.
Supporting organizations that defend institutional integrity is not about partisan politics. It is about protecting the foundational architecture that allows independent businesses to plan, invest, and grow with confidence.
How You Can Take Action
You do not need a law degree to support the defense of democratic institutions. Whether you hold a bar card or operate an independent business, there are concrete ways to engage:
- For lawyers: Sign the Democracy Commitment, join the Meeting the Moment initiative, or participate in local bar association ethics committees to protect professional standards [2].
- For citizens and operators: Subscribe to action alerts, participate in public comment periods on proposed administrative rules, and support civic education in your community.
- For business leaders: Foster a corporate culture that values civic engagement, rule of law, and transparent governance within your industry networks.
Institutions do not defend themselves. They are protected by individuals who recognize that stability, fairness, and accountability require ongoing care. By understanding how legal frameworks underpin both our democracy and our economy, we can all contribute to a more stable and predictable future.
Sources
[1] Lawyers Defending American Democracy, "About Us," https://ldad.org/about, Accessed July 30, 2026.
[2] Lawyers Defending American Democracy, "Meeting the Moment in an Unprecedented Year," 2025 Annual Report, https://ldad.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/LDAD-Year-End-Summary-2025-Final.pdf, Accessed July 30, 2026.
[3] Lawyers Defending American Democracy, "Our Board," https://ldad.org/our-board, Accessed July 30, 2026.
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