The House of Delegates will also discuss immigration enforcement and detention
The American Bar Association’s House of Delegates is set to address law firm intimidation and immigration enforcement and detention at the 2025 ABA Annual Meeting next week.
HOD chair Jonathan Cole will lead the annual meeting. The policymaking body will tackle nearly 60 policy matters, one of which is Resolution 509. This resolution challenges the US government’s sanctioning of and threats to lawyers, law firms or other organizations because they represented clients or causes the government opposed.
Resolution 504 calls on law schools to cultivate environments open to civil discourse in the form of student debate unions and free expression forums, while Resolution 505 urges law schools to adopt comprehensive policies on students’ use of generative AI tools. Resolution 513 backs the academic independence of American universities, colleges and law schools, particularly with regard to student and staff qualifications and curricula and course content.
Meanwhile, Resolution 512 calls for all levels of government to enact and enforce laws in line with constitutional principles and to safeguard judicial independence as well as the rights of vulnerable communities, in addition to championing civic education. Resolution 510 tackles the need for policies and laws that protect due process in proceedings related to denial of entry, visa revocation, rescission of lawful permanent residency, or removal from the US – including on the grounds of supposed security and criminal issues.
Resolution 602 calls for the banning of immigration enforcement operations in or around sensitive locations like hospitals, schools, places of worship, demonstrations, and public safety agencies except under exigent circumstances. Resolution 603 urges the implementation of immigration detention procedures that protect immigrant detainee rights under the US Constitution and the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Resolutions voted on and passed by the HOD will become ABA policy. The annual meeting will take place from August 11 to 12 in Toronto.
At the same meeting, ABA president-elect Michelle Behnke will officially take over as president of the organization at the end of the meeting, succeeding Bill Bay.
