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Amici are 368 individuals but they speak for many more of the past, present, and future members of the legal profession who have, like one in four American women, terminated a pregnancy in their lifetimes. As members of a profession that, in its shining moments, has allowed those with legal training to stand up for those who cannot advocate for themselves, amici feel uniquely empowered, equipped, and, indeed, compelled to come forward with their names and stories on behalf of those who still cannot do so.
Amici submit this brief, some at immeasurable personal and professional cost, for the countless others who may not have the tools to navigate the legal system to secure all that the Constitution and the Court have rightfully promised them.
— Paul Weiss litigation partner Claudia Hammerman, counsel of record, in an amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court in support of the plaintiffs in June Medical Services v. Gee, who are challenging a Louisiana statute that would make it more difficult for doctors to perform abortions. Signatories to the brief include all manner of attorneys, such as “equity partners of the largest firms in the country, counsel to Fortune 100 companies, appointed and career officials in state government, and employees of all three branches of the federal government.”
(Lawyers from the following firms have signed the brief: Weil, Gotshal & Manges; Debevoise & Plimpton; Kirkland & Ellis; Davis Wright Tremaine; BakerHostetler; Paul Weiss; White & Case; Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer; Dechert; Fox Rothschild; Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Dentons; and Morrison & Foerster. Professors from the following law schools have signed the brief: George Washington University Law School; American University Washington College of Law; New York University School of Law; and Emory University School of Law.)
(Flip to the next page to read the brief in full.)
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.