The National Lawyers Guild-Massachusetts Chapter and Zalkind Duncan and Bernstein LLP filed a lawsuit in Hampshire Superior Court on behalf of University of Massachusetts Amherst student Kivlighan de Montebello who was suspended after peacefully protesting Raytheon’s presence at a campus career fair last fall.

On September 29, 2025, de Montebello and fellow students gathered to protest Raytheon recruitment efforts at the Isenberg Career Fair. Despite causing no material disruption to classwork or substantial disruption to the fair, the University suspended de Montebello for one year.

This 2-hour webinar includes the following information:

1. Learn about both International and US law as it relates to the issue of illegal orders in a military context,
2. Learn about the dangers (legal, moral, ethical and practical) that US servicemembers may face if they obey illegal orders,
3. Learn about the dangers (legal, moral, ethical and practical) that US servicemembers may face if they disobey illegal orders,
4. Learn about the ethical issues that may face attorneys and GI Rights Counselors when we discuss the issue of illegal orders.
5. Learn what the public should know about the issue of illegal orders.

We mourn the life of Renee Nicole Good, the legal observer who was killed this week in Minnesota by ICE Agent Jonathan Ross. We condemn both CBP and ICE presence in Portland, especially as two community members were shot this week by federal CBP agents. This week’s violence is a harrowing escalation but is not a new practice. ICE has shot and killed other community members, including in Chicago, Illinois, and Northridge, California, and it had a record number of deaths inside their detention facilities in 2025.

The Trump administration and the State of Texas continue their campaign to paint anyone as a “domestic terrorist”. This time, they arrested Lucy, the 19th Prairieland Defendant, under accusations of Hindering Prosecution of Terrorism. Why? For allegedly having Signal calls and teaching folks how to delete Signal messages.

From the Minnesota NLG chapter and NLG Executive Council

To our neighbors:

The last day Alex Pretti was alive was a day of triumph. Minneapolis went on strike. One thousand businesses closed. One hundred faith leaders were arrested in a civil disobedience action. Tens of thousands marched in the streets. It was called the Day of Truth and Freedom.

Alex Pretti is a hero. We mourn him, Renee Good, George Floyd, Philando Castile, and the lives of all Minnesotans taken by state violence. We echo our neighbors’ demands that Immigration Customs and Enforcement be defunded, abolished, and held accountable for its harm. We thank the people across the country and the world for their solidarity and support.

The NLG National Office and Mass Defense Committee is excited to share with all current NLG members a recording of the Federal Repression Member Meeting we recently held!

In the meeting, we covered: 

• Techniques and tactics being used by ICE and other law enforcement
• Best practices for responding to these attacks
• Role of legal support organizations like NLG

To access the recording, you'll need to log into your nlg.org website account. If you need help doing so, email membership@nlg.org

Here are some relevant resources that were shared:

• Muslims For Just Futures: The Criminalization of Solidarity
• Legal Observer Video Guidelines 
• Federal Assault by Sandwich, Whistle & Protest: An Explainer on 18 U.S.C. 111(a)(1)
• ICE on University Campuses: Know Your Risks & Fight Back!
• Assessing Risks in Supporting Immigrants at Points of Intervention: Understanding the “Harboring” Non-U.S. Citizens Federal Crime, 8 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(A)

For even more mass defense resources please visit: https://www.nlg.org/members-only/members_mass_defense/

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!