Statement in Response to Trump Administration’s Unprecedented Demand that Harvard Dismantle Student Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild

 Originally posted 16 April 2025 by national NLG.

Last Friday, the Trump Administration privately sent a letter to Harvard University with a series of racist, reactionary, and unconstitutional demands attacking civil liberties, academic freedom, human rights, and racial justice. The letter explicitly calls on Harvard to defund and dissolve the Harvard Law School chapter of the National Lawyers Guild—along with several student groups supporting Palestinian rights—and punish our student members and leadership.

The Trump administration targeting the National Lawyers Guild is yet another example of governmental repression of pro-Palestinian organizations and speech. It is also a clear message that this administration, like all authoritarian governments, recognizes that the power of the people threatens its regime.

“NLG’s mission, to use the law for the people by valuing humans and ecosystems over property interests, is fundamentally at odds with our government funding the ongoing genocide in Palestine, disappearing people from our neighborhoods, and attacking our most marginalized communities,” stated Allie Ryave, a third-year student and co-president of Harvard Law School NLG. 

“That the federal government wants us disbanded and disciplined exposes what they fear: an organized resistance movement, supported by law students and lawyers dedicated to fighting back against fascism,” added Corinne Shanahan, a third-year student and co-president of Harvard Law School NLG.

The Harvard Law School Chapter of NLG was founded roughly 50 years ago and has long functioned as a hub for progressive law students to organize. Over the past year, Harvard NLG members have protected those protesting for Palestinian rights, academic freedom, and the rights of immigrants. We have provided legal observers, held Know-Your-Rights trainings, and helped educate the broader Harvard community on staying safe while imagining a better world.

“The student movement for racial justice, immigrant justice, and for Palestine is unbelievably powerful. It’s unsurprising that the Trump administration is targeting us,” said Ariel Boone, a second-year student and incoming co-president of NLG. “Trump’s threats just steel our resolve to continue organizing. We’re proud to stand with the student groups listed in this letter.”

We call on all NLG chapters to conduct membership drives, schedule regular meetings, subvert your institutions, hold your ground, and strengthen the social fabric. 

Organizations like NLG help form a bulwark against violations of human and civil rights around the globe. This is not the first time the National Lawyers Guild has been targeted by the federal government. In the 1950’s, during the Second Red Scare, U.S. Senator McCarthy targeted the National Lawyers Guild and its members under the guise of eliminating communism.  

We urge the Harvard administration to protect all of the students, organizations, and academic programs named in Trump’s letter and to fulfill its promise to push back against the government’s unconstitutional demands. At the same time, we know the power of Harvard NLG comes not from its name or its funding, but from students. We, as the members of the Harvard Law School chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, are committed to continuing in the tradition of fighting for justice and human rights, no matter what form that fight takes. 

Our fight goes beyond the Trump presidency. We won’t be distracted from our pursuit of full liberation.

This is a statement of the HLS National Lawyers Guild Executive Board.

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Background: The National Lawyers Guild is the nation’s oldest and largest network of human rights and public interest activists in the U.S. legal system. NLG has consistently worked to protect democratic rights and create more just societies in the United States and abroad—its members were organizers in the Civil and Labor Rights Movements, prosecuted Nazis at the Nuremberg trials, protected anti-Vietnam War protesters, and supported divestment from apartheid South Africa at a time when the United States labeled Nelson Mandela a terrorist. Most recently, NLG has continued to stand firm in its opposition to genocide and occupation in Palestine. 

The National Lawyers Guild also provides a Sanctuary Campus organizing toolkit to make universities safe for all.

National Lawyers Guild in Madison and Milwaukee denounce politically motivated arrest of Judge Dugan

The Milwaukee and Madison chapters of the National Lawyer Guild (NLG) strongly condemn the public courthouse arrest of elected Milwaukee County Circuit Court  Judge Hannah Dugan on Friday, April 25. The Guild asserts that this unusual arrest is part of an ongoing political campaign by the Trump administration to discredit and intimidate judges and the courts, as it continues to defy multiple rulings. 

News of this arrest came from national FBI director Kash Patel in a release on social media with a photo of the Judge in handcuffs,  rather than an announcement from the Milwaukee office of the U.S.  Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.  Patel’s media release has since been deleted without explanation.

Rather than notify this sitting judge and allowing her to report for processing, as would normally be the case where the defendant is well known and there is no significant flight risk, the FBI chose to take her into custody from the County Courthouse not only displaying her in handcuffs but then shackling her in leg irons in the proceeding, thus highlighting the drama and intimidating effect of this arrest. That she posed no flight risk was confirmed when the magistrate judge released her on her own recognizance at the end of the hearing.

The April 18 underlying incident was also unusual.  According to the FBI affidavit supporting the criminal complaint, a team of no less than six agents were deployed, including two FBI agents, at least one of whom was planted “inconspicuously.” In the prior two such arrests in the County Courthouse, we believe that only two ICE agents were deployed and were sufficient to take the immigrants into custody.  No explanation has been given for this massive deployment in and around Judge Dugan’s courtroom.

Some of the ICE agents did notify Judge Dugan’s court of their presence that morning and plan to arrest one of the parties to a scheduled case before that court. However, they lacked a judicial warrant and thus had no right to enter non-public spaces.

The criminal complaint against the well-respected Judge Dugan was issued without any apparent signature or involvement by the U.S. Attorney’s office, but instead relied solely on the affidavit of one FBI Special Agent, and almost all of the alleged facts are based on hearsay, which would be inadmissible at trial.

This unusual conduct must be seen in the context of the Trump administration’s battle for public opinion against judges nationwide who have issued orders which the administration has defied, and some have been targets of threats, media attacks, and at least one illegal impeachment demand by the president .

These facts also suggest  the possibility that this incident may have been a “set up” in order to stage a high profile arrest of a respected sitting  judge  for the administration to use as a tool in its ongoing effort to discredit judges, as it defies their rulings up to and including the Supreme Court.

In contrast, strong support for Judge Dugan was clear from the immediate outpouring of hundreds of supporters who gathered in short order during the workday demanding the charges be dropped; they  also heard from many elected officials, labor, civil rights, civic and immigrant organizations representing thousands of Milwaukeeans.

 

Know your Rights Bandana

 The Guild has teamed up with PM Press for a limited edition "Know Your Rights" bandana in Spanish and English!

https://www.pmpress.org/bandana

The bandanas are available by mail order only from the PM Press website for $15 each. At least $5 raised from each bandana will go toward the Mass Defense Committee.

Don't be caught in the streets without your KYR bandana! Order one--or more--today and please share the link widely!

Federal Defense Hotline

National Lawyers Guild Announces Federal Defense Hotline

https://www.nlg.org/nlg-announces-federal-defense-hotline/
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: massdef@nlg.org

The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) National Office is launching a hotline for activists and lawyers to report incidents of federal repression, such as FBI “door-knocks” at activists’ homes, grand jury investigations and subpoenas, and any other federal law enforcement efforts to undermine civil rights, such as federal grab squads and the use of unidentified federal agents to police protests. The line is live at: 212-679-2811.

Since May, the NLG has continued to support the movement for Black lives, organizing to support legal defense efforts and provide Legal Observers for demonstrations. In the last week, we have seen the use of anti-protest shock troops by the federal government, such as Portland, where federal grab squads have arrested activists and taken them away from demonstrations in unmarked vans.

A memorandum from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suggests that these officers are acting under the auspices of DHS and are members of the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC). This is a unit typically tasked with high level law enforcement operations and it is formed under US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). These officers are acting under direct orders from the Trump Administration and Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf.

The use of BORTAC to disrupt activism is a recent escalation by the federal government, which has also used the National Guard, FBI, and Secret Service in order to violently quell protests. These efforts come in combination with an aggressive political and legal strategy labeling ‘antifa’ a domestic terrorist organization. Federal prosecutors are also filing criminal charges against activists throughout the country.

The NLG Federal Defense Hotline will allow callers to have privileged conversations with attorneys, and to receive attorney referrals, know-your-rights information, and resources for responding to grand jury investigations and subpoenas. Inquiries about the line can be sent to massdef@nlg.org. The line is staffed by attorneys organizing with the NLG, and will remain active as long as federal prosecution efforts continue.

The National Lawyers Guild, whose membership includes lawyers, legal workers, jailhouse lawyers, and law students, was formed in 1937 as the United States’ first racially-integrated bar association to advocate for the protection of constitutional, human and civil rights.
Related:

• VIDEO: Federal Repression of Activists & Their Lawyers: Legal & Ethical Strategies to Defend Our Movements

NLG Legal Observers

from the Intercept:

In early June, New Jersey’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP) issued a two-page report detailing how legal observers with the National Lawyers Guild, a progressive association of attorneys and legal advocates that has been around since the 1930s and sends representatives to public protests to monitor police activity, were in fact “an anarchist extremist subgroup.”

“‘Lawyers’ may be identified by their bright neon green hats or clothing; however, these individual [sic] may or may not be licensed lawyers,” the office warned. “Their role is to record information regarding the interactions Antifa members are having during an arrest. This individual will record the interaction with the aid of another member, while noting information. The ‘lawyer’ will also obtain booking information and are known to argue with police over arrests and interactions.”

NLG Partners with Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp

The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) is proud to announce a new sustainable partnership with Know Your Rights Camp (KYRC), founded by Colin Kaepernick. KYRC's mission is to advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, and mass mobilization.

KYRC and NLG will partner to expand legal support for social justice movements and increase capacity for providing legal resources for freedom fighters arrested in relation to the movement for Black lives. The agreement includes a $500,000 grant to the National Lawyers Guild Foundation. "This inspiring grant will help the NLG strengthen digital security for mass defense organizing, assist chapters with mass defense infrastructure, expand criminal defense preparations, and create timely new know-your-rights publications," said NLG Executive Director Pooja Gehi.

This partnership builds on decades of mass defense organizing by the NLG and the recent work of Kaepernick's KYRC. The grant will be used in part to support the NLG's growing infrastructure of 65 chapters and 125 student chapters across the country. During the protests following the killing of George Floyd and many others, the NLG has played an important role in supporting activists and the movement for Black lives. The NLG has provided jail and legal support to arrested activists, tracked federal prosecution efforts, and trained and deployed thousands of Legal Observers. The NLG's mass defense efforts serve to strengthen its continued support for various intersectional social justice movements, including health and housing rights, labor struggles, environmental justice, immigration, anti-police violence, LGBTQ rights, disability rights, international solidarity, and abolition of the prison-industrial complex.

The NLG is a proud endorser of #8toAbolition, which calls for defunding police, investing in communities, and freeing people from jails and prisons. "Abolitionism is a crucial component of the NLG's mass defense efforts because both seek to dismantle the institutions most responsible for driving the racist exploitation of Black and Brown communities and political repression of activists," said NLG Director of Mass Defense Tyler Crawford. The NLG recognizes and welcomes the recent increased public support for abolition movements and dedicates itself to continuing to support communities working to make this a reality.

The NLG was formed in 1937 and was the first racially integrated bar association in the United States. The NLG has provided mass defense since 1969 along with its mass defense committee (MDC). The MDC is a network of lawyers, legal workers, law students, and jailhouse lawyers who provide legal support for activists, protesters, and movements for social change. In addition to providing direct legal support to movements, the mass defense program also distributes know-your-rights  materials, hosts reports on state responses to movements, and its widely recognizable green Legal Observer hats are a prominent feature at protests around the country.

Featured image: NLG Legal Observers document arrests during a #NoDAPL protest in New York City, 2016.


The National Lawyers Guild, whose membership includes lawyers, legal workers, jailhouse lawyers, and law students, was formed in 1937 as the United States’ first racially-integrated bar association to advocate for the protection of constitutional, human and civil rights.

Street medic training in Milwaukee: June 26th-28th

20-hour Street Medic Training

Forward Action Medics (FAM) is hosting a 20 hour street medic training in Milwaukee:

Friday, June 26th: 5:30PM – 10:00PM
Saturday, June 27th: 9:00AM – 6:30PM
Sunday, June 28th: 9:00AM – 6:30PM

Location will be shared with participants. We can help make transportation arrangements if needed.
You must be on time for the training. Individuals later than 30 minutes will not be able to attend. This is because there is a lot of information to cover in a very short amount of time, and what we cover in 30 minutes is the equivalent of one workshop’s worth of information…. so please be on time! If you know that you are often late to events, make sure you leave early to compensate.

This 20-hour training covers basic first aid skills and prepares you to help others stay safe and healthy at protests. It will also prepare you to meet health needs as part of a team in your organization, in your community, or as a member of Forward Action Medics, so that activists and communities can stay well and stay in the streets.

This training is rooted in street medics’ history of sharing first aid skills as a form of self-defense for our communities. It focuses on situational awareness and on issues that are common at protests including weather, delays in accessing medical care, and police violence. This training does not cover CPR.


Accessibility: While we strive to make these training opportunities accessible to all, some restrictions apply due to the intense physical nature of the training scenarios. Must be able to lift 30 pounds, move 25 feet independently, and easily handle and utilize first aid supplies. To request and/or discuss accommodations, please indicate so on the registration form and we will contact you.

Please register as space is limited. We will be in contact with participants before the training.
https://forms.gle/ThKnkAtmuSu96QvC6