The phrase “The Rule of Law” is one we often hear and many of us invoke, but do we have a shared understanding of what it means? And even if we can arrive at a common definition, why does the Rule of Law matter? If it does matter, how well is it faring today in the tumultuous times in which we find ourselves? And where it needs to be defended, who are its champions?

In this episode of Higher Callings, I talk with two champions of the Rule of Law, both of whom do that work through a nonprofit and non-partisan organization called the World Justice Project. Elizabeth (Betsy) Andersen is the Executive Director of WJP, and for several years has been leading WJP’s important and impressive work. Karen Green is a former guest on this podcast, a retired lawyer and judge, and now a mediator. She is a member of WJP’s Rule of Law Leadership Council, focused on bringing WJP’s work to the judiciary and the bar. Together, Betsy and Karen explain the work WJP does and why that work has become highly valued by organizations and governments throughout the world.

You can learn more about the World Justice Project at its website: https://worldjusticeproject.org/

Renee Landers is a Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School in Boston. She teaches Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Health Law, and Privacy Law, among other academic pursuits. She also has served in a number of other impressive positions, including a term as President of the Boston Bar Association and another as Chair of the American Bar Association’s Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice. Among her many volunteer activities, Professor Landers has played and continues to play a significant role in the area of judicial ethics in her home state of Massachusetts. And, perhaps most important, she happens to be a great role model for aspiring lawyers.

I’ve known Professor Landers for a number of years and could think of no one I’d rather talk with about some of the most significant decisions issued by the United States Supreme Court in the final weeks before its summer recess, and about the current controversy over whether the Justices should be bound by Congressionally-imposed rules of judicial conduct, as are all other federal judges. I learned a lot from the conversation and I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

Lauren Stiller Rikleen is a force of nature. An accomplished lawyer and author, past President of the Boston Bar Association, and holder of several leadership positions in the American Bar Association, she now has her own leadership institute and serves as Executive Director of an organization of lawyers devoted to defending American democracy. Lauren also recently served as editor of an inspiring book, presenting the stories of 25 women judges, all of whom, like her, have received the ABA's prestigious Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award.

In this episode of Higher Callings, I talk with Lauren about some of her recent work, including the work of Lawyers Defending American Democracy and the publication of her new book.

You can find the Rikleen Institute website here.

You can find the website for Lawyers Defending American Democracy here.

You can learn more about, and order a copy of, Lauren's latest book, Her Honor: Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges, here.