Amb. Norman Eisen (ret.)

Co-founder and Board Member, State Democracy Defenders Action

Norman L. Eisen served as White House ethics czar and ambassador to the Czech Republic under President Barack Obama as well as as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee from 2019–20, including for the first impeachment and trial of President Donald Trump.

He is the author of A Case for the American People: The United States v. Donald J. Trump (Crown 2020) and The Last Palace: Europe’s Turbulent Century in Five Lives and One Legendary House (Crown 2018), the editor of Democracy’s Defenders: U.S. Embassy Prague, the Fall of Communism in Czechoslovakia, and Its Aftermath (Brookings Institution Press 2020) and Overcoming Trumpery: How to Restore Ethics, the Rule of Law, and Democracy (Brookings Institution Press 2022), and the co-author of States United: A Survival Guide for Our Democracy (Cornell University Press 2022).

He is also the author of numerous reports and op-eds, with bylines in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and many other publications, and he frequently appears as a legal commentator on television and radio.

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Panel Information

JUDICIAL ADVOCACY - Under Attack: The Role of Courts in Preserving Rights

11:00 AM

This session will focus on how the courts can play a pivotal role in restoring and protecting the rights of immigrants, Latinos, and marginalized communities, particularly in light of recent changes at both the federal and state levels. With policies that threaten to undermine civil rights, from immigration enforcement actions to restrictive state laws, judicial advocacy has become essential in challenging discriminatory practices and ensuring equal protection under the law. Panelists will discuss key legal battles, the role of the judiciary in defending Latino rights, and how courts can act as a safeguard against erosion of these rights. This conversation will highlight the importance of judicial action in upholding justice and equity for all communities.