Dear Editor,
For over 30 years, the Nashville Bar Association has had a policy to address unjust criticisms of the judicial system and judges. That policy was adopted in 1994 in response to calls for the impeachment of a local judge.
Then, as now, the Nashville Bar Association supports our independent judiciary and the rule of law. Judicial independence means that judges must be free to make impartial decisions based on the law and the facts of the cases before them. Rule of law means that all are accountable to the law, applied without fear or favor. These principles are foundational to our democracy.
Recently, judges around the country have been threatened with impeachment for their rulings in high-profile cases. When elected officials seek to impeach judges for their rulings, those actions threaten our independent judiciary and the rule of law.
Independence from the political pressures of elected officials and legislatures ensures legal protection for all and is necessary for our constitutionally ordered system of courts. As Chief Justice John Marshall wrote in Marbury v. Madison more than 220 years ago, “The government of the United States has been emphatically termed a government of laws, and not of men.”
Lawyers have the privilege to advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves, but the responsibility to stand up for these principles falls to all of us—lawyers, the organized bar, and everyone in our community.
Sincerely,
Joseph Hubbard, 2025 NBA President
