With rising criticism, political pressures and physical threats confronting judges and courts, The Cummins Family Justice Foundation, the Berkeley Judicial Institute and The Chicago Bar Association will convene the legal community to discuss the broader implications of these developments for judicial independence and our constitutional order. The hybrid event will take place at the CBA on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 and will include a full day of programming with respected jurists, distinguished scholars, and prominent lawyers exploring the ethical boundaries, systemic responses, and the role of the legal profession in safeguarding and advocating for the rule of law.
Featured speaker Hon. Jeremy Fogel (ret.), a distinguished state and federal jurist, is the founding Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute, a center at Berkeley Law School whose mission is to build bridges between judges and academics and to promote an ethical, resilient, independent judiciary.
“While courts and judges have been the subject of controversy at other times in our history, our present circumstances are particularly concerning. Public officials and government lawyers are straining constitutional and ethical guardrails, and social media are amplifying their message. Judges who rule against the government are facing credible threats to their safety, and lawyers and law firms who have spoken out on behalf of disfavored clients have been the target of retaliation. This program will highlight the role of the legal community in responding to these very serious challenges,” said Fogel.
Attendees will gain insight into both the challenges facing the judiciary today and the concrete steps lawyers and institutions can take to help protect our republic.
“Attacks made against those who have been appointed to administer the rule of law undermine our democracy and judicial independence and compromise the integrity of our legal system. The Under Siege program provides a significant opportunity for our legal community to come together to discuss ways we can help to promote and defend the independence of our judiciary and the rule of law at such a critical time in our society,” said CBA President Nichole C. Patton.
The full lineup of speakers and topics is outlined below:
- Welcome Remarks
- Daniel J. Cummins, The Cummins Family Justice Foundation
- The Landscape of Attacks on Judges
- Hon. Jeremy Fogel (ret.), Executive Director, Berkeley Judicial Institute. Recorded remarks: Hon. Esther Salas, U.S District Court for the District of New Jersey. Joan Lefkow, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Hon. P. Scott Neville, Jr., Chief Justice, Illinois Supreme Court
- Hon. James L. Robart, U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
- Judicial Independence Under Pressure: Ethics, Constraints, and Public Engagement
- Hon. M. Margaret McKeown, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Hon. Virginia M. Kendall, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Hon. Debra L. Stephens, Chief Justice, Washington State Supreme Court
- Charles Gardner Geyh, Distinguished Professor and John F. Kimberling Professor, Indiana University Maurer School of Law
- Luncheon
- Hon. Stephen Breyer (ret.), United States Supreme Court
- Hon. Diane P. Wood (ret.) U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit; Director of the American Law Institute and Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School
- Hon. M. Margaret McKeown, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- Protecting the Integrity of the Judicial Disciplinary Process
- Robert H. Tembeckjian, Administrator & Counsel, New York State Commission on Judicial ConductRobert P. Deyling, Assistant General Counsel, Administrative Office of the U.S. CourtsHon. Teri L. Jackson, Presiding Justice, California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Five, Paula Wolff, Illinois Courts Commission
- Vincent E. Doyle III, Partner, Connors LLP
- Where Do We Go from Here? Lawyers, Institutions, and the Duty to Safeguard the Rule of Law
- Robert Cummins, The Cummins Law Firm, P.C., Hon. Rubén Castillo (ret.), U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Daniel A. Cotter, Member, Aronberg Goldghen, Hon. Jeremy Fogel (ret.), Executive Director, Berkeley Judicial Institute, Maurice Possley (ret.), Chicago Tribune, Joseph H. Thompson, Founding Partner, Thompson Jacobs PLLC; Former Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, Andrew W. Vail, Partner, Jenner & Block
- Elizabeth Wright, Executive Director, Utah State Bar
- Closing Remarks
- Molly Cummins, The Cummins Family Justice Foundation
The program will take place in person at the CBA (321 S. Plymouth Court) and will be available via webcast on May 5, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Lunch will be served, and the program will be followed by a networking reception. Space is limited. The cost is $25 to attend in person and complimentary for the webcast, and 5 IL MCLE Credit is available. Register: www.learn.chicagobar.org/p/UnderSeige.