Image - the speaker and illustration of the Justice stague
Past Event

American Bar Association President Bill Bay: Defending Justice & the Rule of Law

Join a can’t-miss discussion with American Bar Association (ABA) President William R. “Bill” Bay to hear the latest on how America’s lawyers are responding to Trump administration actions—government moves they say threaten to dismantle constitutionally protected rights to equal justice and the rule of law.

Critics say there are many reasons to be afraid; as President Trump attempts to cow law firms via targeted executive orders, legal residents have found themselves detained and deported without due process, and Justice Department investigations have been nixed for political reasons, can lawyers, the courts and citizens rebuff these threats to the legal underpinning of democracy?

Bay, a partner with the St. Louis office of national law firm Thompson Coburn LLP, is president of the American Bar Association, the world’s largest voluntary association of lawyers, judges and other legal professionals. He will be in conversation with Ann Ravel, the former chair of the Federal Election Commission, and former chair of the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

Notes

Bay photo courtesy the speaker; Justice illustration by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay

May 15, 2025

Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California
110 The Embarcadero
Taube Family Auditorium
San Francisco, CA 94105
United States

Speakers
Image - William R. Bay

William R. Bay

American Bar Association President

Image - Ann Ravel

Ann Ravel

Lecturer, UC Berkeley Law; Former Chair, Federal Election Commission; Former Chair, California Fair Political Practices Commission—Moderator