Presented by the ISBA Human & Civil Rights Section
Co-presented by the ISBA Bench & Bar Section, ISBA Diversity Leadership Council, and ISBA’s Standing Committee on Racial & Ethnic Minorities
Friday, May 8, 2026
ISBA Regional Office, 20 S. Clark Street, Suite 820, Chicago
Symposium – 9:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Complimentary Networking Reception: 4:15 – 5:00 p.m.
6.0 hours MCLE credit
Don’t miss this full-day symposium that focuses on strengthening public understanding of the rule of law and the vital role the legal profession plays in defending democracy. Topics include:
- What we can learn from international law’s shift toward individual rights – rather than just nation-state relations – to better understand U.S. challenges;
- How free speech, the right to protest, and immigrant speech rights tie into the rule of law;
- The roles of lawyers, judges, and bar associations in safeguarding participation and expression;
- Understanding the importance of ethics, professional responsibility, and public service; and
- Much more.
The ISBA would like to offer a special thanks to this program’s financial supporters for helping to make this opportunity possible:
Champion Sponsor
ArentFox Schiff LLP
Advocate Sponsor
Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC
Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, LLC
Partner Sponsor
Romanucci Blandini Law
Supporter Sponsor
McDermott Will & Schulte LLP
Trivedi & Khan, P.C.
Muslim Bar Association of Chicago
Gill Ports Hoste LLC
Robert Wells, Jr.
Program Coordinator/Moderator:
Hon. Junaid Afeef, Administrative Law Judge, Illinois Department of Public Health
9:00 – 9:15 a.m. Opening Remarks and Introduction
Hon. Junaid Afeef, Administrative Law Judge, Illinois Department of Public Health
Bob Downs, Downs Law Office, P.C., Oak Park
9:15 – 10:15 a.m. Foundations of the Rule of Law and Global Lessons
This session explores the four pillars of the rule of law—accountability, fairness, transparency, and equality—and how these principles function as the final safeguard against arbitrary power. Learn how the separation of powers within the U.S. Constitution empowers an independent judiciary to interpret laws and protect your clients’ liberties from government overreach. A discussion on how the global shift toward individual rights is reshaping domestic legal challenges is included.
Moderator: Michael Alkaraki, Gill Ports Hoste LLC, Chicago
Prof. Steven D. Schwinn, UIC School of Law, Chicago
Prof. Spencer W. Waller, Loyola University School of Law, Chicago
10:15 – 10:25 a.m. Break
10:25 – 11:25 a.m. Democratic Backsliding: Participation, Speech and Power
Gain a better understanding of the mechanisms that either sustain or dismantle democratic participation, from the complexities of redistricting and voting access to the legal frameworks surrounding disenfranchisement. Learn how the rule of law hinges on robust protections for free speech and protest rights – and specifically how these protections extend to or exclude immigrant speech in a shifting political landscape. Finally, discover your own professional purpose by better understanding the unique roles lawyers, judges, and bar associations play as the ultimate guardians of the democratic process.
Moderator: Robin Potter, Robin Potter & Associates, P.C., Chicago
Ami Gandhi, Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, Chicago
Dima Khalidi, Palestine Legal, Chicago
Heena Musabji, CAIR-Chicago, Chicago
11:25 – 11:35 a.m. Break
11:35 a.m. – 12:35 p.m. State Power and Individual Rights: Enforcement, Due Process, and Accountability
Don’t miss this in-depth look at how law enforcement, administrative agencies, and immigration enforcement entities interface with the principles of due process and equal protection. Topics include: the various legal and institutional tools available for ensuring accountability within these systems; the critical role of the judiciary and legal profession in upholding individual rights and addressing instances of state overreach; and the best practices for navigating these essential areas of constitutional law.
Moderator: Kathryn E. Eisenhart, Eisenhart Law Office, Springfield
Prof. Craig B. Futterman, University of Chicago Law School, Chicago
Stacy Davis Gates, Chicago Teachers Union / Illinois Federation of Teachers, Chicago
John Heiderscheidt, Subscription Lawyer, Chicago
12:35 – 12:45 p.m. Lunch Served (provided)
12:45 – 1:45 p.m. Working Lunch: Defending the Rule of Law: Roles of Judges, Lawyers, and Bar Associations
This panel presentation examines the evolving professional and institutional roles that either fortify or jeopardize the rule of law in today’s legal landscape. Discussion includes a look at how ethics, professional responsibility, and public service intersect, as well as what practitioners and judges can do (both individually and collectively) to preserve democratic integrity.
Moderator: Bob Downs, Downs Law Office, P.C., Oak Park
Hon. Bridget C. Duignan, ISBA President, Circuit Court of Cook County
Hon. Nichole C. Patton, CBA President, Circuit Court of Cook County
Keenan J. Saulter, Saulter Law P.C., Tinley Park
1:45 – 1:55 p.m. Break
1:55 – 2:55 p.m. Judicial Independence, Weaponization of Courts, and Professional Ethics
Learn to identify the modern risks to judicial independence – from escalating political pressures to the ethical dilemmas that threaten the core of the bench – with this informative presentation. Historical and contemporary examples where courts have been weaponized as tools of power rather than instruments of justice are examined, giving you a clear-eyed perspective on the fragility of the legal system. A discussion on the professional ethics required of both attorneys and judges in an effort to preserve judicial integrity is also included.
Hon. Thomas M. Donnelly, Circuit Court of Cook County
Hon. Gabriel A. Fuentes, Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Prof. Aziz Z. Huq, University of Chicago Law School, Chicago
Hon. Mark J. Lopez (ret.), Arbitrator/Mediator, JAMS
2:55 – 3:05 p.m. Break
3:05 – 4:05 p.m. Practical Tools and Collective Action: Building a Resilient Rule of Law Culture
Get the tools and best practice tips you need to actively defend and promote the rule of law. Learn how to build powerful cross-sector collaborations among bar associations, the judiciary, and civil society to create a unified front against institutional erosion, as well as how to transform your role from a legal practitioner into the civic leader our communities need.
Moderator: Robert E. Wells, Jr., Pessin, Baird & Wells, Belleville
Michelle Garcia, ACLU of Illinois, Chicago
Alejandra Palacios, International Human Rights Clinic, UIC Law School, Chicago
Prof. Steven D. Schwinn, UIC School of Law, Chicago
4:05 – 4:15 p.m. Closing Remarks and Call to Action
Bob Downs, Downs Law Office, P.C., Oak Park
4:15 – 5:00 p.m. Complimentary Networking Reception
Program Information
- Fees (lunch provided):
- ISBA Member - $75
- ISBA sponsoring section members get a $10 registration discount (which is automatically calculated in your cart when you log in to register).
- Non-Member - $310
- New Attorney Member (within the first five years of practice) - $25
- Law Student Members - $25
- NGO and Government Lawyers - $25
- Thanks to our financial contributors, special pricing of $25 is available for attorneys in Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and government attorneys. Please email the ISBA CLE Department at cleregistration@isba.org to receive your special discount code for registration. Just provide your employment/practice setting and ISBA will respond with the discount code.
- Special pricing is available for Legal Service Attorneys.
- Please Note: MCLE credit is available to registrants only on the day of this live event. All registrants will receive access to a recording of the event a few days after the program, but credit is NOT available for the recording.
- I understand that at ISBA events, the ISBA may take photographs, video, film, and audio of registrants, participants, attendees, and their guests. By registering for, or attending, such events I consent to the ISBA’s editing, copying, publishing, distributing, and using my image, likeness, voice, and name for any ISBA purpose. Such purposes may include, but not be limited to, ISBA marketing and communications, posting on ISBA websites and social media platforms, and sharing with other members, registrants, or attendees. I further understand that any photographs, video, film, and audio taken at ISBA events by the ISBA are owned and copyrighted by the ISBA, and that I waive: (1) any compensation for the ISBA’s use of my image, likeness, voice, and name; and (2) any opportunity or right to inspect or approve the photographs, videos, film, or audio prior to ISBA use.
