“Article III Coalition” Formed to Protect the Judiciary – “Keep Our Republic”

The “Article III Coalition” issued “A Call to Preserve the Independence of the Judiciary.”

The Coalition’s website displays important quotations from Alexander Hamilton, Ben Franklin, former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Dwight Eisenhower, and, the late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

The website also includes “an Open Letter From America’s Former Federal Judges.” The letter states in full:

As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, the role of our federal judiciary faces increasing scrutiny. Our founders envisioned a nation of laws, premised on three separate and coequal branches of government. For nearly two-and-a-half centuries, this structure of our constitutional democracy has served as a beacon of light at home and abroad.

We, as former members of the federal judiciary, care deeply about our Constitution and our Country. While the debate over the metes and bounds of each branch is older than the Republic itself, the need for an independent judiciary, free from coercion, has never been questioned. As Alexander Hamilton reminded his countrymen, “there is no liberty, if the power of judging be not separated from the legislative and executive powers.”

The approaching semiquincentennial is surely a time for reflection on these founding principles, but it is also a time for action. Although we come from different corners of America and have been appointed by Presidents of both parties, we former members of the third branch are ready for our third act.

We pledge not only to keep our Republic, but to strengthen it. To defend the rule of law. To protect the independence of the judiciary. To kindle and inspire an informed citizenry. And to dedicate ourselves to the unending duty of protecting our sacred democracy.

For the light of a democracy is not doused, but its unstoked flames can weaken and become faint. We call on all our former colleagues to join us in tending to our democracy through the Article III Coalition. [Emphasis added].

Twenty former Judges signed the letter. The Coalition’s website states:

Keep Our Republic’s Article Three Coalition is comprised of retired federal judges appointed by Presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama. The Coalition’s judges are dedicated to American democracy, the rule of law, and the separation of powers between three co-equal branches of government. The Coalition’s expertise, impartiality, and neutrality will strengthen America’s democracy by invigorating an informed citizenry through education on the Constitution and its norms, the rule of law, the role of the judiciary and its independence, and the importance of the separation of powers.

Article III Coalition – Keep Our Republic (Emphasis added).

“Keep Our Republic” states that it was founded in 2020 as a non-partisan civic education organization. KOR 2023 annual report-final.pdf – Google Drive

In Ex-Federal Judges Group to Defend Judicial Independence (1) (May 1, 2025), Tiana Headley reports that: “The nearly two dozen former circuit and district jurists appointed by Republican and Democratic administrations plan to appear at public forums and town halls across the country, directly engage with the media and public, and make public statements to ‘defend the constitutional role and independence of the federal judiciary,’ according to a release accompanying the letter.”

Of course, those Judges are not alone. E.g., Attacks on Judges Undermine Democracy, Warns Ketanji Brown Jackson – The New York Times; Chief Justice John Roberts defends judicial independence, says it is under threat in several ways | AP News

However, recently, the Judicial Conference of the U.S. wrote: “We have significant concerns about our ability to properly secure federal courthouses given current resource levels.” See Judicial Conference of the U.S. – Inadequate Funding for Security for more information about that letter.

A parallel issue has arisen in Maryland. Maryland Passes “Watered-Down Judicial Security Bill” (Apr. 12, 2025).

The need to properly fund judicial security could not be greater. “Pizzas Sent to Judges’ Homes in Name of Judge’s Murdered Son” (Apr. 17, 2025).

The Hon. Paul W. Grimm (ret.) has written: