Montani, Other G7 Bar Leaders Issue Call to Action in Protecting Rule of Law

Montani, Other G7 Bar Leaders Issue Call to Action in Protecting Rule of Law

June 16, 2026

D.C. Bar President Sadina Montani joined 10 other bar leaders from around the world in calling on the Group of Seven heads of state convening in Évian-les-Bains, France, to make rule of law "an explicit and concrete political priority."

The G7 summit brings together the leaders of some of the world's most powerful countries to discuss and coordinate solutions to global issues and challenges. In an open letter, bar leaders from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan emphasized the need to prioritize and strengthen the rule of law as the cornerstone of democracy, economic stability, and international cooperation in an increasingly uncertain global environment.

"Democracies do not survive by the sheer strength of their armed forces, the power of their economies, or the speed of their innovations. They thrive because they rest on shared, predictable, and respected rules - the rule of law," the group said.

"Law is neither a luxury nor a constraint," the group added. "Responses to crises, whatever their nature, must remain fully compatible with the requirements of justice, freedom, and fairness."

Montani, whose tenure as president has been marked by strengthened cooperation with bar associations across continents, said it was important to join other legal leaders in sending a clear message about the importance of rule of law.

"And the message is straightforward: law is not a constraint on democratic societies. It is the condition for them," Montani said. "In D.C., we sit at a critical intersection of law, government, and the legal profession. The rule of law is not a distant, abstract principle for lawyers here - it is the foundation of everything we do every day, in courtrooms, in boardrooms, in private practice, in nonprofit legal clinics, and in public service."