CU Files Amicus Brief in the Matter of Jeffrey B. Clark (District of Columbia Court of Appeals)

This week Citizens United filed an amicus brief with the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in the matter of Jeffrey B. Clark.  Citizens United’s brief focuses on the profound 1st Amendment freedom of speech and 6th Amendment effective assistance of legal counsel implications of the proposed action against Clark. We urge the court to reject the disciplinary board’s recommendation and dismiss the matter, arguing: “The Board says that sanctioning Mr. Clark will ‘discourage dishonesty.’ But in reality, it will discourage candid legal investigation and discussion of controversial legal and political positions in favor of post-hoc, and politically correct, third-party judgments by decision-makers whose intent may be to stifle dissenting or minority viewpoints, which ultimately undermines both client interests and the free exchange of ideas essential to effective legal representation.”