Past Events
First Legal Action Against ICE For its “Operation Catch of the Day” in Maine
Emergency March to Protest Lawless Tactics of ICE in Maine
Public Forum
Standing up for the Rule of Law: How do we save it?
Law Day Event
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First Legal Action Against ICE For its “Operation Catch of the Day” in Maine
On January 30, 2026, Maine Lawyers for the Rule of Law co-founder David Webbert filed the first known legal action against ICE for its “Operation Catch of the Day” in Maine. This important step and vital tool under Rule of Law to hold ICE accountable was widely reported on by the media. Bob Peck, age 67 and a resident of South Portland, was observing ICE agents from a safe distance on January 22, 2026, when two masked and armed ICE agents approached him and threated to arrest him for the alleged crime of following them: “that’s your one warning, if you keep doing it, we’ll pull you back out and arrest you.” Mr. Peck had the presence of mind to video record his encounter with ICE.
Webbert was quoted in the press, “The primary thing we’re trying to do is to stop it from happening again. We also don’t want history to get rewritten. One of the reasons to bring this case is to document that this did happen.”
As required by the Federal Tort Claims Act, the initial legal step was the filing of a sworn notice of claim with ICE. The FTCA requires claimants to wait six months after filing the notice of claim before they can file suit in federal court. Webbert said he was also researching a possible claim for Mr. Peck against ICE under the Maine Civil Rights Act.
Webbert further emphasized what is at stake: “Absolute immunity is very dangerous for obvious reasons, and the president seems to have it. That’s bad enough. We can’t have tens of thousands of ICE agents have it, or game over for democracy.”
https://themainemonitor.org/ice-observers-intimidation-legal-action
https://www.wmtw.com/article/maine-ice-encounter-lawsuit-south-portland-man/70227439
https://www.mainepublic.org/show/maine-calling/2026-02-02/ice-in-maine-latest-news-outlook
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Emergency March to Protest Lawless Tactics of ICE in Maine
On January 23, 2026, we organized and led an emergency march in Portland of lawyers and other concerned Mainers to protest the blatantly unconstitutional tactics used by ICE in its “Operation Catch of the Day” in Maine’s largest cities. We chose the East Bayside neighborhood for our march because it was actively being targeted by ICE “to let residents know we have their back.” We brandished posters stating, “Maine Lawyers and Judges Will Enforce your Rights if ICE breaks them;” “Without Due Process, It’s Kidnapping” and “Protect our Neighbors.”
Our March earned widespread reporting by the media, including the Boston Globe and leading digital and tv news media in Maine.
https://www.mainepublic.org/immigration/2026-01-23/maine-lawyers-hold-emergency-protest-decry-unconstitutional-ice-tacticshttps://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/01/23/metro/maine-protests-ice-surge
Member Carol Sipperly was featured in the press holding a poster stating, “No Breaking the Law; Harming Observers; Wearing Masks.” Member David Webbert was quoted, “Lawyers are officers of the justice system. This is not normal, this is outrageous, and Mainers need to know that lawyers recognize that.”
We called out ICE for arresting Mainers based solely on their race and appearance, using excessive force, violating basic due process rights (including the right to a lawyer and a timely hearing), and falsely claiming the right to enter homes without judicial warrants even though the Fourth Amendment prohibits such intrusions. We were quoted, “ICE came to Maine and is targeting people of color to fulfill their quotas. You can’t get a more blatant violation of the rule of law.”
We also criticized ICE for moving detainees out of state from the Cumberland County jail in blatant violation of orders by Maine federal judges temporarily barring the federal government from moving these detainees out of Maine. We emphasized that ICE was not above the law and that one of the members of our group planned to sue ICE under the Federal Tort Claims Act for damages.
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Public Forum
Standing up for the Rule of Law: How do we save it?On October 14, 2025, lawyers, scholars, and public officials gathered at the University of Southern Maine’s Hannaford Hall. The event brought together leaders from across Maine’s legal community and beyond to examine how the rule of law can be protected at a moment when public trust in institutions is being tested.
Governor Janet T. Mills opened the program with a call to action, urging Mainers to defend the Constitution and the systems that safeguard fairness and accountability, reminding the audience that “the law is neither red nor blue… it is the greatest achievement of our society.” Her remarks set the tone for the evening’s discussion, highlighting the shared duty of citizens and government to preserve the independence of the courts and the integrity of legal institutions. Harvard Law Professor and constitutional scholar Noah Feldman followed with a keynote emphasizing that the rule of law depends as much on culture as on written rules, warning that it can no longer be taken for granted. He urged attendees to embrace civic engagement as essential to sustaining a healthy democracy.
We are in a completely new environment where large number of Americans are expressing healthy skepticism about the rule of that’s why we need to talk about the rule of law.
That’s why we need to talk about where it comes from, why it’s valuable because it’s not obvious movement and here’s the key point. Because it’s no longer a given that our way of life substantiates the rule of law. It’s no longer a given. Once you lose that it’s very hard to get it back.”
– Noah Feldman
For Maine Lawyers for the Rule of Law, the event represented a powerful reaffirmation of its mission to defend the principles that uphold our democracy. Bringing together leaders from law, government, and academia, it underscored the organization’s belief that safeguarding the rule of law requires both vigilance and participation from every corner of society. The forum served not only as a call to action but also as a reminder that the strength of our legal system depends on shared commitment from citizens, lawyers, and public officials alike to fairness, accountability, and the independence of the courts.
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Law Day Event
On Law Day, May 1, 2025, we stood alongside more than 600 Maine lawyers and 100 law firms who joined us in signing a public declaration rejecting any form of government intimidation or retaliation against legal professionals.
We organized this effort to affirm a simple but critical principle: no government should dictate whom attorneys represent, nor punish lawyers, firms, or judges for fulfilling their duties under the law. That afternoon, we gathered with attorneys, legal leaders, and community members outside the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland to collectively reaffirm the Maine attorney’s oath, underscoring the
deep connection between our professional obligations and our constitutional duty.Attorney’s Oath
Upon admission to the bar, every applicant shall, in open court, take and subscribe an oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of this State, and take the following oath, or, in the case of an applicant conscientiously scrupulous of taking an oath, such applicant shall make appropriate affirmations to the same effect:
“You solemnly swear that you will do no falsehood nor consent to the doing of any in court, and that if you know of an intention to commit any, you will give knowledge thereof to the justices of the court or some of them that it may be prevented; you will not wittingly or willingly promote or sue any false, groundless or unlawful suit nor give aid or consent to the same; that you will delay no man for lucre or malice, but will conduct yourself in the office of an attorney within the courts according to the best of your knowledge and discretion, and with all good fidelity, as well as to the courts, as to your clients. So help you God.”
Title 4 of the Maine Revised Statutes §806-A
For our organization, this event was both a symbolic and essential response to these challenges. We believe the health of our democracy depends on attorneys being able to represent their clients without fear, judges deciding cases on the law and facts without threat, and law firms being free from coercion or penalty. The declaration we issued that day was not only a reaffirmation of these core principles—it was also a call to all legal professionals, policymakers, and citizens in Maine to join us in upholding the rule of law through both words and actions.
