In 1958, President Eisenhower established May 1st as Law Day, a day to celebrate what the rule of law means to a free society. Its observance became law on April 7, 1961. President Eisenhower’s words ring as true today as they did nearly seventy years ago: “If civilization is to survive, it must choose the rule of law.”
We have made that choice in this country—the choice that all of us, individuals, institutions, and governments, are equal under and accountable to the law; the choice that we will not be deprived of our rights without being afforded due process; the choice that our constitutional freedoms will be protected from abuse by the government; the choice to adopt a tripartite form of government where each branch is a check and balance to the authority exercised by the others; and the choice to defend the independence of the court as it undertakes its constitutional mandates.
Law Day is not for lawyers, but it should have a special meaning for all of us because the rule of law lies at the heart of our profession, a profession whose duty it is to defend the rule of law and our courts as it and they are under attack.
So please take a moment this week to speak to just one person about what the rule of law means and, more importantly, what society would be like without it. If you are available, join your colleagues on Thursday, May 1, at 12:00 PM at the United States District Court, 450 Main Street in Hartford to show your support. You can find a link to the program below.
Click here for details and to RSVP.