The NLG's Military Law Task Force (MLTF) joined more than 40 peace, religious, and civil liberties organizations in a joint statement issued March 11th opposing the "automatic" registration of individuals for a
possible military draft and supporting the Selective Service Repeal Act. This is the the broadest anti-draft coalition to come together since the joint response to the report of the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service 6 years ago.

Click Here for the press 

Click here for the joint statement

Friday, May 15, 2026 from 6pm - 9pm, Arts at the Armory, Somerville, MA

We are thrilled to invite you to the NLG-Mass Chapter's 2026 Annual Testimonial Dinner, set to take place on Friday, May 15th, at the Arts at the Armory in Somerville! 

This year, we will recognize and honor amazing legal professionals for their outstanding contributions to the legal field: Mahsa Khanbabai and Elliot Oberholtzer will receive 2026 Lawyer Awards, Robert Warren - 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award, community coalition LUCE - 2026 Legal Worker Award, and Jon Brasley (Suffolk Law School) and Marjorie Piani (Northeastern School of Law) - 2026 Student Awards.

We hope you will be with us on this special day and join us in celebrating this year's honorees and the Guild! 

Please see the official invitation, linked here and pictured below, for more information. 

If you would like to purchase dinner tickets, submit a personal program message, or sponsor the Dinner, please see the following links:

• Order your Dinner Ticket 
• Submit a Program Greeting 
• Sponsor the Dinner 

The National Lawyers Guild joins the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) in condemning in the strongest terms the joint attack by the United States and Israel on the Islamic Republic of Iran, launched on the morning of Saturday, February 28, 2026, amid the holy month of Ramadan.

These attacks constitute another example of the crime of aggression, in blatant violation of article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter and the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity of states, good neighborliness and the peaceful settlement of disputes. International law clearly prohibits both the use of force and the threat to use force against the territorial integrity of any state, and it is also clear that the United States and Israel have deep disregard and contempt for these principles. These attacks further violate the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. president acted unilaterally and lawlessly — without congressional authorization and absent any imminent threat to the U.S. However, it is important to point out the failure and unwillingness of the U.S. Congress to act to respond to Trump’s other unauthorized hostilities in Iran or anywhere. As many have also pointed out there are over 50 members of Congress who have investments in defense companies and directly profit from these illegal wars.

The Military Law Task Force of the NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD categorically condemns the unprovoked US/Israeli attack on Iran. This is a grotesque violation of international law and the U.S. Constitution.

Iran is a sovereign nation and a member of the United Nations as is the United States. The UN Charter is a treaty which is the “supreme law of the land” under Article VI of the US Constitution. Article 2(4) of the UN Charter states, “All Members shall 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.”

The aggression here is a crime under international law and is committed when, as here, a country attacks another that is not threatening it and is not carried out in self-defense against an attack.

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!