Law Day
May 1, 2007
What Is Law Day?
A national day set aside to celebrate the rule of law. Law Day underscores how law and the legal process have contributed to the freedoms that all Americans share.
How Did Law Day Begin?
- 1957-American Bar Association (ABA) President Charles S. Rhyne, a Washington, D.C., attorney, envisions a special day for celebrating our legal system.
- 1958-President Dwight D. Eisenhower establishes Law Day to strengthen our great heritage of liberty, justice, and equality under law.
- 1961-May 1 is designated by joint resolution of Congress as the official date for celebrating Law Day.
When Is It Celebrated?
May 1 is the official date, but in fact Law Day can be celebrated on any date. It often becomes Law Week (or Weeks!) as Law Day planners reach out to a broad segment of the community.
How Is It Celebrated?
Law Day programs are designed to help people understand how law keeps us free and how our legal system strives to achieve justice. Law Day is celebrated in schools across the country and in programs designed to reach the adult public. Thousands of programs are conducted every year.
Who Puts On Law Day?
Law Day is often planned by state and local bar associations, courts, schools and governmental agencies in communities throughout the country. Often these groups work together to reach the largest possible audience.
What Is This Year's Theme?
"Liberty Under Law: Empowering Youth, Assuring Democracy"
Why Is This Theme Important to People?
The future of our nation is in the hands of our young people. We all can and should play a role in assuring America's future by addressing the needs of youth and focusing on the issues affecting them today. All youth need to understand their rights and responsibilities under the law to become effective participants in our nation's civic life. The Law Day 2007 theme prompts us to listen to the voices of young people and consider how the law can better serve their needs and interests. It also encourages us to assure that our youth are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively make their voices heard within our democracy.
"A democratic society rests, for its continuance, upon the healthy, well rounded growth of young people into full maturity as citizens, with all that implies." - Taken from the majority opinion in Prince v Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 321 US 158 (1944) authored by Wiley Blount Rutledge, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
