Please join the Animal Liberation Project in a free, Guild-wide Zoom WatchParty of The Smell of Money by Director Shawn Bannon on Sunday, January 18th, 12:30-1:55 PM ET with a discussion beginning at 2:00 PM.

Bannon's documentary weaves civil rights, environmental justice and animal rights in a compelling narrative told by several African American residents of rural North Carolina. Cameo appearance by Senator Cory Booker.

The National Conference of Black Lawyers (NCBL) stands with the National Lawyers
Guild (NLG) in denouncing Republican Texas House member, Lance Gooden’s October 16, 2025, letter requesting a federal investigation of the organization. The letter was sent to the United States Attorney General, Pamela Bondi, and copied to the Director of the FBI, Kash Patel; Frank Bisignano CEO, Internal Revenue Service; and, the Republican Attorneys General Association. This request on its face, if granted, would violate NLG’s First Amendment rights and set a dangerous precedent for organizations advocating for civil and human rights. The letter suggests that these rights are only for those organizations that do not provide support for groups that are critical of the
Administration. Representative Gooden suggests that because NLG is a “public welfare organization” [501(c)(4)] it’s constitutional rights can be restricted.

The National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) stands in solidarity with the National Lawyers Guild and the National Lawyers Guild Foundation, which are under attack for standing up against the genocide in Palestine. The NLG, NLGF, and the Mass Defense Steering Committee are the subjects of a request for an investigation submitted by a member of the US Congress to the Department of Justice without any legitimate legislative purpose.

To the people of Minneapolis. To the people of the Twin Cities. To the people of Minnesota. 

Once again the eyes of the world are on our city. ICE murdered Renee Nicole Good. An ICE agent stood in front of her car and shot her through the windshield. She died there. Blocks from her home. In her own words, Renee Nicole Good was a poet and writer and wife and mom and shitty guitar strummer. She was a member of our community. We grieve her loss and feel your anger that she was taken and that she is gone. 

This is a harrowing reminder that ICE continues to terrorize Americans and immigrants. This killing is an escalation of ICE’s violence, which shot and killed an immigrant in Chicago, Illinois, and in Northridge, California, an off-duty ICE agent shot and killed a Black man during a New Year’s celebration. ICE also had a record number of deaths inside facilities that house immigrants in 2025.

The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) joins the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) in condemning in the strongest and most unequivocal terms the US bombing of Caracas as well as the attacks on Miranda, La Guaira, and Aragua.  We also express our outrage that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, have been kidnapped and removed from Venezuela by the US government.

These attacks constitute flagrant violations of several fundamental principles of international law, in particular Articles 1 and 2 of the UN Charter.  Most seriously, they amount to a grave violation of Article 2(4), which requires States “to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations”. They constitute illegal aggression, which was considered the supreme international crime at Nuremberg. And they violate the right of the people of Venezuela to self-determination, which is guaranteed by Article 1(2) of the UN Charter.

The Military Law Task Force of the National Lawyers Guild condemns the U.S. military attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of Mr. and Ms. Maduro by Delta Forces under illegal orders from President Trump. Like the recent U.S. bombing and sinking of small vessels in international or foreign waters and the deliberate killing of civilians on board, the attack violates the United States War Powers Act; Article 2(2) of the United Nations Charter; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the Geneva Conventions, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials as well as customary international law.

Of particular concern is the wide range of U.S. servicemembers involved in these attack, including those now in support and logistics roles. Our FAQ On Refusing Illegal Orders is still in effect, as is our recent Emergency Webinar on Illegal Orders Under Military Law explains that those implementing such orders could still be liable under the UCMJ and international law.

We also call upon the United States Congress to hold hearings to investigate these war crimes, to consider articles of impeachment against President Trump and Defense Secretary Hegseth, and to enact such additional legislation as may be needed to ensure that such actions will not be repeated. 

The Trump regime has unleashed the full force of ICE, CBP, and DHS for his mass deportation agenda. As more people stand up against this violence, federal prosecutors across the country have brought hundreds of charges against protesters under 18 U.S.C. § 111(a)(1), “federal assault”. Understanding this law can help assess risks as you take action in support of immigrants!

Don't worry if you missed the December 2nd webinar. It will be uploaded soon for members to watch.

In the meantime, the guide is available for members in PDF format. Check it out!

As the administration moves to expand its domestic terrorism framework, new policies and rhetoric are raising alarm among social justice advocates. A recently issued presidential directive, National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM-7), reportedly identifies a range of progressive, “anti-American,” and “anti-Christian” beliefs as potential indicators of “terrorism.” Paired with inflammatory claims about so-called “transgender extremism” and Donald Trump’s executive order targeting “Antifa,” these developments signal a disturbing effort to criminalize dissent and stigmatize marginalized communities.

The password to watch the video is: nF2jW!Q

NLG is receiving more and more verified reports of federal agent door-knocks and contacts. If you are approached by federal law enforcement, don’t be afraid to alert your community, and remember:

You do not have to let them into your house without a warrant.

You have no obligation to speak to law enforcement or answer their questions, and it can be dangerous to do so.

It is a crime to lie to federal agents.

Instead, you can invoke your Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, and your Sixth Amendment right to counsel, by saying “I cannot answer any questions without my lawyer. Please leave your name and number, and a lawyer will call you.”

You can also call the National Lawyers Guild federal repression hotline at 212-679-2811, for a free, privileged consultation about your rights, risks, and responsibilities, and to be connected with appropriate legal resources in your jurisdiction.

We keep us safe!

The Mass Defense Steering Committee (MDSC), with the support of the Director of Mass Defense and in collaboration with on-the-ground partners, has created a Hotline Manual to support organizers running legal hotlines for protests and broader social movements.

This document is written with the worst case scenario in mind: starting a hotline from scratch in an area with little legal support infrastructure, during a sudden upswing in demonstrations, such as we saw following the police murder of George Floyd in 2020. However, many of the recommendations within should be relevant to more established hotlines. The system described in this manual is not necessarily the only one possible, but it is based on existing hotlines with strong track records.

Check out our NLG Member Orientation! This is for new, and newer members, so that y'all can learn about how the NLG is structured, how to reach out to other members, and ways that you can become involved with the NLG on a national level!