Hadar Harris is an award-winning international human rights attorney who has worked for more than two decades on a broad range of human rights issues in more than 25 countries. Prior to joining PEN America, she was the executive director of the Student Press Law Center, the nation’s only legal assistance organization devoted exclusively to supporting student news media in their struggle to cover important issues free from censorship. She also served as the executive director of the Northern California Innocence Project, which works to exonerate the innocent and to reform the criminal justice system, and for 13 years, she was the executive director of the Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law at American University Washington College of Law. She started her career as executive director of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus under the leadership of the late Congressman Tom Lantos.

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David Scheffer is a genuine legend of international criminal justice and the defense of a just rule of law. A senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, during the Clinton Administration he was the first-ever US Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues and led the US delegation to the UN talks that established the International Criminal Court (ICC). He also has negotiated the creation of four other war crimes tribunals; chaired the Atrocities-Prevention Inter-Agency Working Group; was senior advisor and counselor to the late US Ambassador to the UN, Madeleine Albright; and served on the Deputies Committee of the National Security Council. His recent publications include the award-winning "All the Missing Souls: A Personal History of the War Crimes Tribunals”; “The Sit Room: In the Theater of War and Peace”; and (with Mark Ellis) “The UN Charter: Five Pillars for Humankind.”

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With the shuttering of USAID and massive layoffs at the State Department, generations of institutional memory and expertise are being lost to the American people and to the people they have helped around the world. But not only that – the next generation of affected leaders committed to building and sustaining human rights and the rule of law must reconsider their futures as well.

In this two-part episode of Rule of Law Defenders, we talk with four professionals, ranging from early to mid-career, who do this work about how they see the future and how to shape it for the better.

Andres is a program assistant for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Carole is a senior program officer for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Ravy is a program manager for Africa.

Jessie serves as program director for Asia/Pacific.

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With the shuttering of USAID and massive layoffs at the State Department, generations of institutional memory and expertise are being lost to the American people and to the people they have helped around the world.  But not only that – the next generation of affected leaders committed to building and sustaining human rights and the rule of law must reconsider their futures as well.  In this two-part episode of Rule of Law Defenders, we talk with four professionals, ranging from early to mid-career, who do this work about how they see the future and how to shape it for the better.

Scott Carlson, Associate Executive Director for Global Programs at the American Bar Association (speaking in his personal capacity), joins host Michael Pates to share highlights from his career in advancing a just rule of law and to examine today’s challenges, international and domestic — and what you, too, can do about them. (Recorded July 2, 2025. Run time: 20:48)

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