On this 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, I am reminded that as attorneys, we accept the calling to uphold the rule of law. It’s an obligation we willingly accepted when we were first sworn in as attorneys admitted to practice law. This isn’t and shouldn’t be a controversial point. 
Yet, I recommend that we, as Cincinnati Bar Association members, go one step further to play a vital role in informing non-attorney members of our Greater Cincinnati community about the importance of the judiciary. Although we may not ultimately agree with a judge or tribunal’s decision, and trust that I haven’t agreed with every legal ruling rendered in the cases I’ve had the honor of handling, the recourse we have is to potentially appeal the trial court’s decision instead of publicly attacking the judge and/or seeking to impeach the judge. It’s our job as local legal practitioners to assist the general public in understanding that (1) judges are human and members of our local community; (2) judges are unable to defend their opinions publicly as they generally speak only through the legal opinions they render; (3) we don’t seek to impeach judges merely because we may not agree with their legal ruling(s); and (4) a party’s general remedy for seeking review of trial court’s decision is requesting review from the appropriate appellate court/appeals tribunal. 
The need for CBA members to do our part in engaging with members of the Greater Cincinnati community is highlighted by the statement of John Roberts, Chief Justice of the United States, within the 2024 Year End Report on the Federal Judiciary calling for state and federal bar associations to assist in ensuring the independence of the judiciary. Chief Justice Roberts instructed that “[a]ttempts to intimidate judges for their ruling in cases are inappropriate and should be vigorously opposed.” Chief Justice Roberts’ guidance remains as equally applicable today as it did more than a year ago when he gave it. 
Thankfully, several CBA members, including Grace Royalty and Zach Schaengold, have put much effort into encouraging CBA members to engage with the Greater Cincinnati community about certain legal topics including understanding the judicial branch. This program is called the Speakers Bureau and it relaunches 
July 2026. 
Please contact the Cincinnati Bar Association if you are interested in participating in the Speakers Bureau. I also request CBA members to engage with members of the Greater Cincinnati community to assist them in understanding the importance of an independent judiciary so that we may do our part in upholding the rule of law. We can make a difference if we put in the effort.