Statement on January 6

The Society for the Rule of Law Institute issued the following statement on the anniversary of the January 6 attack on the Capitol:

American constitutional self-governance rests on certain essential elements: respect for the judicial process, acceptance of electoral results, and a culture of veneration for the rule of law. Base contempt for all of these fundamental principles was on display four years ago, on January 6, 2021, when an armed and angry mob sacked the Capitol. We must never whitewash or erase from our collective memory this violent assault on the fundamental ideals that make the American experiment possible.

As conservative attorneys and others, we have a special obligation to repudiate the acts of that day and the rhetoric that made them possible. We also must actively work to ensure nothing like this happens again. Some of the propagators of the “stop the steal” narrative and those who schemed to subvert a lawful election were veterans of the conservative legal movement and self-styled “constitutional conservatives.” These people, and their specious, bad-faith legal maneuvering don’t—and mustn’t—speak for us.

As we mark this solemn anniversary, the man at the center of that day—Donald Trump—is, of course, set to resume office. His statements promising to pardon the rioters make a mockery of the rule of law, and we’ve condemned them in the strongest possible terms. While we have and continue to hope for the best for the president-elect and the nation, we are not blind to the reality of the situation: that January 6 was one of democracy’s darkest days, and yet the democratic process has restored to office the man most culpable for it.

We can only hope that history never repeats itself, and take action to ensure this is the case going forward.

To be connected with spokespeople for comment, please contact Communications Director Tony Franquiz at [email protected].

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