Rule of Law Speaker Series: Hon. Mark Wolf

Why It Matters

Wolf’s departure and public critique signal a prominent jurist’s alarm over perceived partisan erosion of legal norms, heightening scrutiny of the Justice Department and the judiciary at a fraught political moment and raising questions about the courts’ role in checking presidential power.

Summary

Retired U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf, speaking at Stanford’s Neukom Center, explained his recent resignation after four decades on the federal bench, saying he could no longer be constrained by limits on what judges may publicly say. In a widely read Atlantic essay he blamed President Donald Trump for using the law for partisan ends—shielding allies and targeting opponents—and said that silence was now intolerable. Wolf framed his decision against a long career in the Justice Department and on the bench, recounting work on Watergate-era accountability, refugee resettlement, and public-corruption prosecutions in Boston. His remarks stressed the urgent need to defend judicial independence and robust, nonpartisan enforcement of the law.

Original Description

The Neukom Center welcomes Judge Mark Wolf (Ret.) as part of the Center’s Rule of Law Speaker Series. Judge Wolf was appointed to the federal bench in 1985 by President Reagan. He resigned in November 2025. Shortly thereafter, he published an opinion piece in The Atlantic titled, “Why I Am Resigning,” in which he explained that his resignation was driven by his urge to speak out against the Trump Administration’s assault on the rule of law. Judge Wolf will speak about his decision and his view of the rule of law in America today.