First it was the businesses. Now, this is the bar.
More than a dozen of the country’s leading law firms have committed to joining forces to challenge voting restrictions across the country, adding legal power to the corporate pressure campaign against Republican efforts to review elections in the country. aftermath of former President Donald Trump.
One of the leaders of the effort, Brad Karp, chairman of law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison of New York, said Monday that 16 businesses have signed up so far, including his. The lawyers will act like ‘SWAT teams’ for legal action, he said. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at Yale School of Management who works to help mobilize corporate America against the constraints, describes the legal coalition as an “army of electoral law experts ready to send notice in an instant.”
The group came together from talks between major law firms about taking a public stand against restrictive voting laws such as those passed in Georgia last month, as well as bills being considered in Texas, Arizona, Florida and other states.
“I believe it is critical for the private bar to first send a powerful, united message to government officials that it is unacceptable to make voting rights more difficult for all voters, not easier,” Karp said. “Supporting the right of all eligible voters to vote for candidates they elect is central to our democracy and must be embraced by all Americans, regardless of their political affiliation.”
Sixty-five law firms have meanwhile signed a statement that was only reported on Monday requesting elected officials to prioritize access to the vote. The list of signatories includes leaders of Perkins Coie of Seattle, as well as Davis Polk & Wardwell; Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton; and Paul, Weiss, all headquartered in New York, according to The American Lawyer, a legal publication.
“To make voting rights easier for all voters, not more difficult, should be the goal of every elected official. Election laws that set up illegal barriers and barriers to the right to vote and that groups that are not represented are a major setback for all Americans are, “the statement said.
Of the 65 businesses, Karp said, 16 are committed to mobilizing manpower.
The legal effort, which he says he expects to expand, will have thousands of attorneys working with the lawyers and advocates who usually challenge election laws in the states. Karp said the group is planning a multi-year effort, with presence in as many states as needed.
Republicans, including the government of Georgia, Brian Kemp, have argued that major changes are needed to restore confidence in the election after Trump insisted for months on the lie that one of him had been stolen. According to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School, more than 350 bills are being considered in 47 states. According to all official accounts, the election in 2020 was safe and the results accurate. Trump’s attorney general, William Barr, said there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud, and Trump’s legal efforts to block the results have failed in courtrooms across the country.
Corporations began speaking out late last month against Republican efforts after Kemp signed a comprehensive legal inquiry in Georgia that elected President Joe Biden blue for the first time in decades. Major companies in Georgia, such as Delta and Coca-Cola, have sharply criticized the law; Delta chief executive denounced it as “based on a lie” after months of encouragement by state activists.
Lawyers say a letter from black business leaders – published in a full-page ad in The New York Times and signed by more than 70 black business leaders – prompted more than 200 corporate leaders to speak out and act in some cases. Major League Baseball has announced that it will move its All-Star Game out of Atlanta in protest.
Other corporate giants singled out restrictive proposals in the Republican-controlled Texas legislature for specific condemnation, while Georgia lost its first film production due to the law on Monday.
Republicans pushed back.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Warned the U.S. business community to “stay out of politics” before softening his stance the next day, saying, “I did not say it very artfully yesterday. They “I’m definitely entitled to get involved in politics. They are. My main complaint is that they did not read the bill,” referring to Georgia’s newly enacted law.
Texas, Lieutenant General Dan Patrick, a Republican, said the corporate response was “nonsense” and that the American CEO of American Airlines “should leave” after the airline passed a bill sponsored by GOP, in Texas, where it has its headquarters, exposed.
More than 120 CEOs and senior leaders, lawyers and experts joined a Zoom call on Saturday to plan their next moves, NBC News reported. The leaders of the private sector have discussed making more public statements, withdrawing investments from states that enforce restrictions and getting involved in legal-related legal actions.
