May 27, 2026—The Nassau County Bar Association (NCBA) has issued a statement on behalf of the NCBA and four other local bar associations calling on legal professionals to defend the Rule of Law and Due Process.

The Amistad Long Island Black Bar Association, Long Island Hispanic Bar Association, Theodore Roosevelt American Inn of Court, and Westchester County Bar Association join the NCBA in opposition to a proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Justice allowing the Justice Department to halt state disciplinary proceedings brought against its DOJ attorneys by the states in which they are admitted to practice.

“Attorneys throughout our country, including federal government attorneys, are bound to follow the ethical standards prescribed by the states in which they are admitted to practice,” states NCBA President James P. Joseph. “Lawyers who fail to observe the ethical standards prescribed by the state in which they are admitted to practice, subject to the requirements of due process, can be disciplined by those states, even to the extent of losing their licenses to practice law.

The statement:

… calls on legal professionals to defend the Rule of Law and Due Process, to act as stewards of the U.S. Constitution against unprecedented, increasing, unverified attacks that threaten democratic institutions, such as the intimidation of judges, lawyers, and journalists. It emphasizes that lawyers must act as defenders of the Constitution—a non-partisan duty to maintain legitimacy, upholding constitutional safeguards, such as those in the Bill of Rights, upholding fair legal processes, and protecting the rights of all individuals, even during times of crisis. It warns that ignoring the Rule of Law and Due Process threatens our entire Democracy by replacing them with the whims of individuals.

The full statement and resolution adopted by the NCBA Board of Directors can be found at https://www.nassaubar.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Resolution-and-Statement-on-Rule-of-Law-adopted-4.14.26.pdf.