Barbara McQuade

We teach them what is in the DOJ's policies and principles of federal prosecution.

These are the expectations.

These are the norms.

And these, as a member of any bar, of any state, are your ethical obligations.

Every state has model rules of professional responsibility rules.

based on the American Bar Association's versions, including a rule, 3.8, that includes special duties of a prosecutor.

So we teach them those things.

I also have a segment in my class every day where we talk about things in the news, things that appear to be unusual and abnormal.

And although, you know, the president, does he have the power to do these things?

Some are untested.

As I said earlier, however, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do something.

So I just ask the students to consider

whether this use of power is one, lawful, and two, ethical, and three, an appropriate use of power in a democracy.

And so we discuss those things.

And I think it's important to listen to voices.

Reasonable minds can disagree about what you should do.

But I think when it comes down to the law and ethics, everybody needs to know where those lines are drawn.