CLEAR Supports Fall Series Lawyering in a Time of Authoritarian Threat

12.09.2025 — Northeastern Law’s Center for Law, Equity and Race (CLEAR) co-organized a four-part series of critical conversations this fall, examining how legal advocates respond to threats against democratic institutions and the rule of law.

The open classrooms were a key component of Professor Rachel Rosenbloom’s Lawyering in a Time of Authoritarian Threat course this semester. Each open classroom session featured a prominent practitioner engaged in resisting current attacks on civil rights and the rule of law. In addition to these public sessions, students enrolled in the course also gathered for weekly seminar discussions that included in-depth examination of relevant topics, including historical case studies. In one of the seminar sessions, CLEAR Co-Director Professor Margaret Burnham and Professor Nan Woodruff of Penn State University led a session on Jim Crow-era lawyering strategies, discussing strategies implemented by attorneys working during the Jim Crow era.

“We are witnessing broad attacks not only on civil rights but on the very foundations of our legal system. Our students are grappling with what it means to enter the legal profession at a time when judges are under attack and federal agencies are being dismantled,” said Professor Rosenbloom, who designed the course. “This course has provided a space where students and faculty can think together about how to meet this moment, and about what we can learn from looking at how lawyers in other contexts, such as Apartheid-era South Africa and the United States during the Jim Crow era, used the law to resist authoritarianism.”

The series was co-sponsored by the Center for Public Interest Advocacy and Collaboration (CPIAC) and the Center for Global Law and Justice (CGLJ).

Four Critical Conversations

The series launched on September 29 with Resisting the Intersecting Attacks on Immigrants and on Pro-Palestine Speech, featuring attorney Mahsa Khanbabai in conversation with Professor Rosenbloom. The session examined how restrictions on immigrant communities and advocacy work threaten fundamental rights.

On October 20, the conversation turned to Resisting the Attack on Civil Rights and Racial Justice, with Professor Burnham in conversation with Rahsaan Hall ’98. They discussed, among other topics, how to protect civil rights gains and advance racial equity amid coordinated opposition.

November 3 brought attorney Chase Strangio ’10 to campus via Zoom for Resisting the Attack on Queer and Trans People, with Professor Libby Adler leading the conversation. They discussed defending LGBTQ+ rights as communities face increasing legal challenges nationwide.

The series concluded November 17 with Resisting the Attack on Federal Workers, featuring attorney Suzanne Summerlin in conversation with Professor Ryan Quinn, exploring threats to the federal workforce and the civil service system.
All four evening open classroom sessions took place in Dockser Hall and were open to the entire law school community and public.

The series reflected CLEAR's broader mission of preparing law students to become advocates who can navigate challenging political environments while maintaining their commitment to justice and equity.