Top U.S. Trial Lawyers Sound the Alarm on Attacks on Democracy at National Speak Up for Justice Forum

As Threats Against Judges Escalate, The Nation's Most Renowned Attorneys Unite on October 23 to Defend the Rule of Law

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With 562 threats against federal judges already recorded in 2025 — surpassing the total for all of 2024 — America's most prominent trial attorneys are sounding the alarm.

This Thursday, October 23, the nonpartisan movement Speak Up for Justice hosts "Judges Under Siege, Lawyers Speak Up," a virtual forum featuring a powerhouse lineup of lawyers, including David Boies (Bush v. Gore), Mark Geragos, Mark Lanier, Stephen Zach, and Patricia L. Glaser. Together, they'll confront an unprecedented threat to judicial independence and the rule of law.

Across the country, judges and their families are being targeted with harassment, doxxing, and dangerous physical threats. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court's growing reliance on its "emergency docket" and disregard for precedent is changing how justice is administered — largely out of public view. A generation after Bush v. Gore, some of the nation's most esteemed litigators are warning that we've reached an inflection point, one that could undermine the independence and credibility of the courts for generations to come.

"We haven't seen threats to judicial independence at this level since the days of Andrew Jackson's defiance of the Supreme Court," said Paul Kiesel, founder of Speak Up for Justice. "When judges fear for their safety and their families' lives, the entire foundation of our democracy is at risk."

Forum Speakers:

• David Boies — Founding Chairman, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP; counsel in Bush v. Gore and U.S. v. Microsoft; co-led the fight for marriage equality in California.
• Mark Geragos — Principal, Geragos & Geragos; led landmark class actions securing $37.5M+ related to Armenian Genocide-era insurance policies.
• Mark Lanier — Founder and CEO, The Lanier Law Firm; won landmark verdicts against major corporations; member of the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame.
• Patricia L. Glaser — Chair of Litigation, Glaser Weil LLP; one of the nation's top business and entertainment trial lawyers.
• Stephen N. Zack — Partner, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP; past President of the American Bar Association and the Florida Bar; former U.S. delegate to the United Nations.
• Lauren Stiller Rikleen — Executive Director, Lawyers Defending American Democracy; former President of the Boston Bar Association.
• Traci Feit Love — Founder and Executive Director, Lawyers for Good Government; mobilizes thousands of pro bono attorneys for civil rights, climate, and reproductive freedom.
• Moderator: Paul R. Kiesel — Partner, Kiesel Law; Founder, Speak Up for Justice.

What Speakers Will Discuss:

• The rising nationwide threats to judges, including doxxing, swatting, and political intimidation.
• How the Supreme Court's "emergency docket" is reshaping outcomes without full transparency or briefing.
• Twenty-five years after Bush v. Gore: how results-first decision-making and the abandonment of stare decisis are eroding trust in the judiciary.
• Why the legal profession must speak out now to defend judicial independence and the rule of law.

The October 23 Speak Up for Justice forum marks the sixth in a growing national series that has featured both federal and state judges sharing firsthand accounts of bomb threats, swatting, and AI-generated death threats. This event shifts the spotlight to the nation's most prominent attorneys as they confront the deepening danger of judicial intimidation and politicization.

Legal professionals, media, and concerned citizens are encouraged to register and attend.

Register at www.SpeakUpForJustice.law. The forum starts at 12pm noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

About Speak Up for Justice

Founded by attorney Paul Kiesel, Speak Up for Justice is a nonpartisan movement of legal professionals, judges, and advocates dedicated to defending the independence of the judiciary, promoting accountability, and protecting democracy from political interference in the courts. The Speak Up for Justice Executive Committee includes the following distinguished members: Judge Beth Bloom, Judge Esther Salas, Judge Karoline Mehalchick, Judge Leo Gordon, Karl J. Sandstrom, and Paul Kiesel.

Media Contacts:

Kathy Fowler

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 410-963-2345

Marc Silverstein

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 202-716-9123

SOURCE Kiesel Law