The Philip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco.
Melissa Hooper moderates a conversation between Polish Judge Monika Franckowiak and human rights lawyer Maciej Nowicki and recently fired American immigration judges Shira Levine, Kyra Lillian, Elisa Brasil, and Ila Deiss. Hooper led USAID's programming on rule of law and autocratic power grabs in democracies before the dismantling of the agency.
We'll discuss the impact of the firings on the rights of community members and on rule of law. How did the Polish legal community fight back when Polish judges were subjected to investigations, smear campaigns, and threats of criminal charges, and how were they successful at mobilizing people throughout the country to protest in support of the constitution and the judges under attack? What lessons did they learn that might apply within the U.S.?
Max attendance: 50
Vibes: Important, learned, transnational