From: Dean Erwin Chemerinsky
Date: Monday, March 31 2025
Dear Berkeley Law Community,
I hope you enjoyed a restful spring break. It is hard to believe that we already are in the last month of classes. Some in our community will be walking across the graduation stage soon. It is an exciting time.
It is also a very difficult time for many in our community. Every day I receive messages from those who tell me that the Trump administration’s actions make them feel vulnerable, angry, or afraid. There is understandable concern about what is happening right now to students, law firms, universities, those who are not U.S. citizens, transgender individuals, academics, and others. And there is much talk about what might happen. I doubt anyone in the Berkeley Law community is not impacted in some way.
At this difficult time, it is important that we remain true to our school’s purpose and our profession’s values. The precepts of justice – fairness, equal treatment, impartiality, access to representation and courts, consistent application of the law, and treating all people with dignity and respect – are the foundation of a just society. These core principles mean that unconstitutional and illegal actions must be condemned and challenged. Judicial orders, issued to anyone, must be obeyed, but may be appealed. No one is above the law. Threats against judges because of disagreement with their rulings are never acceptable. Lawyers never should be punished for the clients they represent or for their lawful, zealous advocacy.
These propositions are central to the rule of law and for us as a law school. None should be the least bit controversial. The rule of law is not partisan. It is at the core of everything we do as a law school.
I know that we don’t all share the same opinions, politics, or feelings. We don’t all experience the world or even the law school in the same way. However, I hope we will come together in the face of challenge. Amidst our many differences we are bound by our calling to service, to scholarship, and to training excellent, ethical, creative, passionate, and compassionate attorneys.
We must do all we can to support one another and to care for each other and our community as a whole. I welcome your suggestions for what the Law School can do better in this regard.
I wish you all the best for the remainder of the school year.
Warmly,
Erwin Chemerinsky
Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law
University of California, Berkeley School of Law