Overview

• Biden headlined the National Bar Association’s 100th annual gala in Chicago and received its C. Frances Stratford Award, the group’s highest honor
• He accused President Donald Trump’s administration of “doing its best to dismantle the Constitution,” warning that the country is entering “dark days”
• Biden framed the current moment as an existential fight with marginalized communities “dramatically under attack” since the civil rights era
• He urged lawyers to defend democratic norms by representing clients who cannot afford fees and joining legal briefs that challenge power
• The speech unfolded during intensifying Republican-led House Oversight probes into his cognitive fitness even as he continues treatment for Stage 4 prostate cancer