More than 500 guests attended the “Secret Garden”-themed Austin Bar Foundation Gala on Jan. 25, 2025, at the Four Seasons in downtown Austin. Members of the legal community arrived in their black-tie best. Austin Bar President Mary-Ellen King hired flower-covered stilt walkers, who posed with guests to take pictures. Attendees enjoyed an elegant pre-event cocktail hour while perusing the auction …

The American Bar Association has suspended its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) standard in response to the Trump administration’s Department of Education (DOE) mandate that such policies be eliminated or federal funding for higher education may be cut. The suspension of this standard, called Standard 206, will last until at least Aug. 31, 2025, the ABA Legal Education and Admissions …

The American Bar Association condemns recent remarks of high-ranking officials of the administration that appear to question the legitimacy of judicial review and demand impeachment of a judge merely because the court did not agree with the government’s position. These comments pose serious risks to our constitutional framework that separates power among three co-equal branches. Last week, the administration lost …

The International Academy of Trial Lawyers has one mission: to protect and promote the Rule of Law.  We condemn the new administration’s repeated disregard for the U.S. Constitution, as well as statutory and common law. In accordance with their Constitutional mandate, courts have rightfully intervened to protect legal rights and the Rule of Law.  Sunday (Feb. 23, 2025), Vice President …

Dr. Calvin A. Kelly leaned back in the barber’s chair for a trim. Chatting with the other clients, thoughtfully listening to their stories, Kelly was doing more than maintaining a tidy beard. Visiting the barbershop— traditionally one of the most trusted environments for Black men —shored up his work just down the hall, where he runs the first trauma recovery …