A Joint Appeal to Protect the Rule of Law in the 2020 U.S. Elections
The following statement is issued on behalf of a diverse group of civic leaders reflecting a broad cross-section of American society. Signatories are drawn from the legal profession, private sector, higher education, philanthropy, labor, faith-based organizations, think tanks, and retired military and government service. They have come together to make a joint, nonpartisan appeal for the rule of law to be upheld during the 2020 election process. The statement calls on those in positions of public responsibility to “take all necessary measures to safeguard the election process so that all Americans can have confidence in the ultimate outcome.” It also urges all Americans “to exercise patience, civility, and restraint, so that the results of the elections can be determined in accordance with the rule of law and peacefully accepted by the American people.”
For more information or for media inquiries about this statement, please contact: press@worldjusticeproject.org
A Joint Appeal to Protect the Rule of Law in the 2020 U.S. Elections
As the framers of the Declaration of Independence recognized, governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” That consent is expressed through free and fair elections and their corollary: the orderly and peaceful determination and implementation of the results. These are among the principles that stand at the heart of the rule of law under the U.S. constitutional order.
In recent weeks, concerns have been raised in various quarters about the security and integrity of the upcoming U.S. elections and the possibility that the results would not be honored. Given such concerns, it is essential that those in positions of public responsibility take all necessary measures to safeguard the election process so that all Americans can have confidence in the ultimate outcome.
We therefore call on public officials to ensure that:
- All who are entitled to vote are able to do so safely and securely, whether in person or through other authorized means, and without interference or intimidation;
- All ballots are counted in accordance with a lawful, accountable, efficient, and well-organized process;
- Authorized election observers enjoy adequate access to polling places and other election facilities; and
- Election disputes are resolved in a fair, open, and orderly way in accordance with the law.
We call on all citizens to respect the rights of free expression, media freedom, and peaceful assembly before, during, and after the election, and we call on members of the media, including social media, to exercise their important role responsibly and in accordance with professional standards of accuracy, fairness, and truthfulness.
We also call on all eligible voters to cast their vote in a timely manner, whether in person or by mail. Voters should expect that there may be delays at the polls and that it may take time — especially given the challenges posed by the pandemic — for all ballots to be counted and official results to be confirmed. Some jurisdictions may experience procedural difficulties in voting and vote tabulation. Such circumstances may give rise to litigation and public demonstrations after Election Day. We urge those in leadership positions to encourage peaceful participation in the election process and to condemn any threats or acts of violence. We also urge all Americans to exercise patience, civility, and restraint, so that the results of the elections can be determined in accordance with the rule of law and peacefully accepted by the American people.
Organizational Signatories
Alliance for Peacebuilding
American Anthropological Association
American Association of University Women (AAUW)
American Bar Foundation
American Leadership Initiative
American Political Science Association
American Society of International Law
Association of American Law Schools
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
Chinese American Bar Association of Greater Chicago
Cook County Bar Association
Freedom House
Human Rights First
Humanity United
InternetBar.org Institute, Inc.
Jerusalem Peacebuilders
Law School Admission Council
McCain Institute for International Leadership
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
National Education Association
National Filipino American Lawyers Association (NFALA)
National LGBT Bar Association
New York Bar Foundation
Transparency & Accountability Initiative
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
World Justice Project
Individual Signatories
(Organizational affiliations are for identification purposes only)
Rahmah A. Abdulaleem
Executive Director, KARAMAH: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights
Mark D. Agrast
Executive Director and Executive Vice President, American Society of International Law
Maryam Ahmad
President, Chicago Bar Association
Madeleine K. Albright
Former U.S. Secretary of State
Benes Z. Aldana
President and CEO, The National Judicial College
Paige Alexander
CEO, The Carter Center
Danielle Allen
Director, Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University
Catherine Amirfar
President, American Society of International Law
Elizabeth Andersen
Executive Director, World Justice Project
Dennis W. Archer
Former President, American Bar Association
Jeffrey Aresty
President and Founder, InternetBar.org Institute
Aurora A. Austriaco
President, National Conference of Bar Presidents
Hilarie Bass
Former President, American Bar Association
David Beckmann
President Emeritus, Bread for the World
John B. Bellinger, III
Former Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State
Laurel G. Bellows
Former President, American Bar Association
Aileen Bhandari
President, South Asian Bar Association Chicago
Sheila S. Boston
President, New York City Bar Association
Esther D. Brimmer
Executive Director and CEO, NAFSA: Association of International Educators
Paulette Brown
Former President, American Bar Association
Mariann Edgar Budde
Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Washington
Bob Carlson
Former President, American Bar Association
Thomas Carothers
Senior Vice President for Studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
James H. Carter
Former President, American Society of International Law
Maxine Clark
CEO, Clark-Fox Family Foundation
N. Lee Cooper
Former President, American Bar Association
Elizabeth Cousens
President and CEO, United Nations Foundation
Aron Cramer
President and CEO, Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)
Kenneth C. Frazier
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Merck
George T. French, Jr.
President, Clark Atlanta University
Francis Fukuyama
Senior Fellow, Stanford University
Donald Guy Generals
President, Community College of Philadelphia
Tom Ginsburg
Chairman, Comparative Constitutions Project & Professor, University of Chicago Law School
Joe Goldman
President, Democracy Fund
Kristy Gonowon
President, Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Chicago Area
Michael S. Greco
Former President, American Bar Association
Robert Grey, Jr.
Former President, American Bar Association
James Grossman
American Historical Association
Paul G. Haaga, Jr.
Retired
Hon. Lee H. Hamilton
Former Member of Congress (IN)
John Hamre
Former Deputy Secretary of Defense
Tim Hanstad
CEO, Chandler Foundation
Stephen Heintz
President and CEO, Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Robert Herman
Senior Vice President, Management Systems International
Reid Hoffman
Co-Founder, LinkedIn & Partner, Greylock
William C. Hubbard
Chair of the Board of Directors, World Justice Project & Former President, American Bar Association
R. William Ide
Former President, American Bar Association
Russell S. Jones, Jr.
Member, National Conference of Bar Presidents
Richard Kaplan
Past President, Beverly Hills Bar Association
Scott M. Karson
President, New York State Bar Association
Stephen L. Kass
Chair, New York City Bar Association Task Force on the Rule of Law
Rabbi Nancy Kasten
Chief Relationship Officer, Faith Commons
Kathleen Kennedy
President, Lucasfilm
Robert O. Keohane
Professor Emeritus of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University
Nannerl O. Keohane
President Emerita, Wellesley College and Duke University
Stephen King
CEO, Luminate
Linda Klein
Former President, American Bar Association
Larry Kramer
President, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
Hilary Krane
Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel, NIKE, Inc.
Mike Kubzansky
CEO, Omidyar Network
Carolyn Lamm
Former President, American Bar Association & Former President, The DC Bar
Eli Lehrer
President, R Street
Steven J. Lepper
Major General, USAF (Ret.)
A. Thomas Levin
Former President, New York State Bar Association and Nassau County (NY) Bar Association
Ed Liebow
Executive Director, American Anthropological Association
Nancy Lindborg
President and CEO, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Eric Liu
CEO, Citizen University
Robert Malley
President and CEO, International Crisis Group
Rev. Dr. George A. Mason
President, Faith Commons
Karen J. Mathis
Former President, American Bar Association
Ajay K. Mehrotra
Executive Director and Research Professor, American Bar Foundation
Sarah E. Mendelson
Former U.S. Ambassador to UN ECOSOC
Dale Minami
Senior Counsel, Minami Tamaki LLP
Alberto Mora
Former General Counsel, U.S. Navy
James A. R. Nafziger
Thomas B. Stoel Professor of Law and Director of International Programs, Willamette University College of Law
Alondra Nelson
President, Social Science Research Council
William H. Neukom
Founder and CEO, World Justice Project & Former President, American Bar Association
Philip Lim Nulud
President, National Filipino American Lawyers Association (NFALA)
Michael A. Nutter
Former Mayor, City of Philadelphia
Joseph S. Nye, Jr.
University Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus, Harvard University
Eileen M. O’Connor
Senior Vice President, The Rockefeller Foundation
Stewart Patrick
Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner
Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Anthony F. Pipa
Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Rebecca Pringle
President, National Education Association
Keri Putnam
CEO, Sundance Institute
Robert D. Putnam
Research Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Roberta Cooper Ramo
Former President, American Bar Association
Rip Rapson
President and CEO, The Kresge Foundation
Lucy Reed
Former President, American Society of International Law
Susan Reichle
President and CEO, International Youth Foundation
Richard W. Riley
U.S. Secretary of Education 1993–2001 & Honorary Chair, World Justice Project
Melissa Rogers
Former Special Assistant to the President and Executive Director, White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
Lesley F. Rosenthal
President, New York Bar Foundation
Paul Rosenzweig
Senior Fellow, R Street Institute
Theodore Ruger
Dean, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School
Joel Samuels
Executive Director, Rule of Law Collaborative
Rabbi David Saperstein
U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom (Ret.)
Kim Lane Scheppele
Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs, Princeton University & Past-President, Law and Society Association 2019–2020
Mark Schneider
General Counsel, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, an AFL-CIO chapter
Dr. Rajiv Shah
President, The Rockefeller Foundation
James R. Silkenat
Former President, American Bar Association
Mariko Silver
President and CEO, Henry Luce Foundation
Anne-Marie Slaughter
CEO, New America
Brad Smith
President, Microsoft Corporation
Alan D. Solomont
Dean, Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University & Former U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra (Ret.)
Rev. Adam Russell Taylor
Acting President and President Elect, Sojourners
Richard Trumka
President, American Federation of Labor & Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
Darren Walker
President, The Ford Foundation
Jim Wallis
Founder, Sojourners
Hon. William H. Webster
Former Director of the FBI and the CIA
H. Thomas Wells, Jr.
Former President, American Bar Association
Ridgway H. White
President, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner
President, Skinner Leadership Institute
David W. Yang
Vice President, Center for Applied Conflict Transformation, U.S. Institute of Peace
Stephen N. Zack
Former President, American Bar Association & Former President, The Florida Bar
David A. Zapolsky
SVP, General Counsel & Secretary, Amazon.com, Inc.
(Signatories current as of 11/6/2020)
