Criminal Law Library BlogArticles Posted in American Bar Association
Bar Associations Fight for the Rule of Law
“This year’s celebration of Law Day is much different than any we have ever faced. Our justice system and profession face grave risks due to the clear pattern of statements and actions by elected and appointed officials that threaten the rule of law. These include attacks on the judiciary and the legal profession, retaliation against those who disagree with government actions, and efforts to penalize those who seek to eliminate bias in our justice system and profession and enhance diversity. The frequency and intensity of these attacks are escalating. You read about them every day. We, [ the ABA] have spoken strongly and clearly about these threats. Make no mistake. Our judicial system, profession and the principles we have cherished for 250 years are at risk” ABA Fights for the rule of law.
BAR ORGANIZATIONS’ STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF THE RULE OF LAW.
There are clear choices facing our profession. We can choose to remain silent and allow these acts to continue or we can stand for the rule of law and the values we hold dear. We call upon the entire profession, including lawyers in private practice from Main Street to Wall Street, as well as those in corporations and who serve in elected positions, to speak out against intimidation.
Cyber Sexual Misconduct and Criminal Behavior: A modern Legal Challenge
The digital age has dramatically expanded how we connect, communicate, and share. Yet with these advances come new risks—especially for vulnerable individuals targeted through online platforms. One of the most alarming forms of harm emerging in this environment is cyber sexual misconduct, which encompasses a broad range of non-consensual, sexually inappropriate behaviors conducted via digital means.
As technology evolves faster than the law can keep up, cyber sexual misconduct presents pressing questions about privacy, consent, and accountability. Increasingly, these acts are being recognized not merely as ethical violations, but as criminal offenses requiring serious legal and societal responses.
What Is Cyber Sexual Misconduct?
Artificial Intelligence: Legal Issues, Policy, and Practical Strategies
Artificial Intelligence: Legal Issues, Policy, and Practical Strategies, Edited by Cynthia H Cwik, Christopher A Suarez, and Lucy L Thomson.
A publication by the American Bar Association.
The Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Mental Health Standards, With Commentary
Adopted August 2016; Revised Commentary 2017 and 2024.
FROM THE INTRODUCTION:
Persons with mental disorders are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system. Studies suggest that anywhere from 16 to 24% of people in jails and prisons have a serious mental illness.1 This rate is three to 12 times higher than the rate of serious mental disability in the community, 2 and at least three times higher than the population in psychiatric hospitals.3 It also represents a vast increase over the incarceration rate of people with mental disability 30 years ago, when the first edition of these Standards was promulgated.4 If mental disorder is defined more broadly, to include personality disorders, the percentages involved in the criminal system skyrocket to over 50%.
ABA Criminal Justice Section, Events March 21-26, 2025
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Justice Jackson to Speak at the 40th White Collar Crime Institute
The White Collar Crime Institute of the American Bar Association is considered the “premier gathering for legal professionals specializing in white-collar crime”. It is being held in Miami, FL , March 4-7, 2025. For additional information and registration, click here.
The ABA Supports the Rule of Law
A message from William R. Bay, President of the American Bar Association, February 10, 2025:
It has been three weeks since Inauguration Day. Most Americans recognize that newly elected leaders bring change. That is expected. But most Americans also expect that changes will take place in accordance with the rule of law and in an orderly manner that respects the lives of affected individuals and the work they have been asked to perform.Instead, we see wide-scale affronts to the rule of law itself, such as attacks on constitutionally protected birthright citizenship, the dismantling of USAID and the attempts to criminalize those who support lawful programs to eliminate bias and enhance diversity.