Rule of Law Defenders

In 1957, Charles Rhyne, president of the American Bar Association (ABA) — the world’s largest voluntary organization of lawyers and judges — envisioned a special day for celebrating the ideals of our legal system. A year later, embracing this vision amidst a global Cold War characterized by freedom’s rule of law versus communism’s rule by law, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established “Law Day” a...

Catherine Hanssens has specialized in HIV and sexual health legal and policy issues since 1984, and is a seasoned litigator, legislative lawyer, community organizer, and policy advocate. A long-time activist for personal autonomy in sexual, reproductive, and healthcare decision-making, she is Founder and Executive Director Emerita of The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP) which, under her leader...

Elise Groulx Diggs is Door Tenant at 9 Bedford Row Chamber in London; Honorary President of the International Criminal Bar; criminal defence lawyer; legal advisor on international criminal law; and an accredited mediator. She is ranked by Chambers & Partners Global Guide as an Eminent Practitioner in the field of Business and Human Rights and was President of the International Criminal Defence Att...

Desirée Cormier Smith is a co-founder and co-president of the Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice . She is also an inaugural Senior Fellow in the newly launched Human Rights & US Foreign Policy Fellowship at the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at the Harvard Kennedy School and an inaugural Alcee L. Hastings Global Futures Fellow at Howard University’s Ralph Bunche International Affairs Center. Fr...

Jessica So is an international human rights lawyer and advocate with more than a decade of global experience leading high-impact initiatives, including eight years based in Myanmar, Lebanon, and Jordan. She’s an expert in trial monitoring, fair trial rights, and fundamental freedoms, with deep experience in cross-cultural lawyering, managing multi-stakeholder programs, and conducting research in c...

Sasha Filippova serves as Senior Staff Attorney at the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH), where she focuses primarily on accountability for human rights violations; gender justice, including sexual and gender-based violence; and governance. A US-based human rights non-profit organization, established in 2004, IJDH is a partnership of human rights advocates in Haiti and the US ded...

Shibani Shah is a lawyer and international development professional with more than a decade of experience advancing rule of law and anti-corruption reform in conflict-affected and transitional areas. She has led multi-million-dollar USAID and State Department funded initiatives across Kosovo, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Vietnam, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, serving in senior roles with the Amer...

Andrew Solomon is a seasoned justice innovator and rule of law influencer with a passion for disrupting bureaucracy and dismantling barriers to change. For three decades, he has led in designing cutting-edge programs, building partnerships, and facilitating locally-led initiatives to close justice gaps, strengthen trust in justice institutions, and empower people and communities as an internationa...

Ginna Anderson has more than a decade of experience as an international human rights lawyer defending fundamental freedoms and fair trial rights, with specific expertise in health and human rights, human rights defender protection, and media freedom. She currently serves as the Associate Director of the American Bar Association’s Center for Human Rights, where she leads a diverse team of human rig...

Marc Hawk is a dedicated public servant, advocate, and community leader. A J.D. candidate at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (Class of 2027), he was recently elected the Law Student At-Large on the American Bar Association Board of Governors. His career to date has been rooted in grassroots organizing, constituent services, and policy advocacy. He previousl...

Barrett Holmes Pitner is a philosopher, author, educator, journalist, and founder of The Sustainable Culture Lab . In 2021, he published the celebrated book, The Crime Without a Name: Ethnocide and the Erasure of Culture in America , which NPR named one of the top books of the year. In it, he describes how ethnocide — the destruction of a people’s culture while keeping the people — has shaped Amer...

Bennett Freeman has worked for more than four decades at the intersection of governments, international institutions, multinational corporations, responsible investors, and NGOs to promote human rights and sustainable development around the world. An innovative leader in the fields of business and human rights, natural resource governance, and responsible investment, he has played key roles in dev...

Dr. Beth Van Schaack served as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice in the U.S. State Department office, where she once served as Deputy Ambassador. GCJ advised the Secretary of State and the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights on issues related to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, and the deployment of the whole range of transiti...

Jasmine D. Cameron is an international human rights lawyer and visiting scholar at American University’s Washington College of Law. She most recently served as Senior Legal Advisor for Europe and Eurasia with the American Bar Association’s Center for Human Rights, Justice Defenders Program. Previously, she worked overseas for many years, including as a staff attorney and legal advisor for the U.S....

Melissa Hooper is an accomplished lawyer and policy expert with more than 20 years’ experience in accountability law, high-impact litigation, and global human rights advocacy. Recognized for her leadership in framing and initiating actions to defend democratic principles and the rule of law, she has successfully litigated complex domestic and international cases, worked alongside Congress and the...

Paul Smith is a Visiting Professor from Practice at the Georgetown University Law Center and formerly Senior Vice President at the Campaign Legal Center, of which he remains a board member and advisor. Until 2017 he was in private practice at the law firm of Jenner & Block LLP, where he had an active appellate practice for several decades, including 21 Supreme Court oral arguments in a wide range...

Elisa Massimino is Visiting Professor of Law and Executive Director of the Human Rights Institute at Georgetown University Law Center. She also serves as a non-resident senior fellow in national security and international policy at the Center for American Progress. She joined the Georgetown faculty in 2019 as the Robert F. Drinan, S.J., Chair in Human Rights. Before coming to Georgetown, she was a...

Hadar Harris is an award-winning international human rights attorney who has worked for more than two decades on a broad range of human rights issues in more than 25 countries. Prior to joining PEN America, she was the executive director of the Student Press Law Center, the nation’s only legal assistance organization devoted exclusively to supporting student news media in their struggle to cover i...

David Scheffer is a genuine legend of international criminal justice and the defense of a just rule of law. A senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, during the Clinton Administration he was the first-ever US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues and led the US delegation to the UN talks that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). He also has negotiated the creation of...

With the shuttering of USAID and massive layoffs at the State Department, generations of institutional memory and expertise are being lost to the American people and to the people they have helped around the world. But not only that – the next generation of affected leaders committed to building and sustaining human rights and the rule of law must reconsider their futures as well. In this two-part...

With the shuttering of USAID and massive layoffs at the State Department, generations of institutional memory and expertise are being lost to the American people and to the people they have helped around the world.  But not only that – the next generation of affected leaders committed to building and sustaining human rights and the rule of law must reconsider their futures as well.  In this two-pa...

Scott Carlson , Associate Executive Director for Global Programs at the American Bar Association (speaking in his personal capacity), joins host Michael Pates to share highlights from his career in advancing a just rule of law and to examine today’s challenges, international and domestic — and what you, too, can do about them. (Recorded July 2, 2025. Run time: 20:48) Thanks for listening! Subscrib...