Law Day: Reaffirming Legal Traditions and Confronting Emerging Challenges
Today we are faced with challenges never before seen; challenges that our founders could not have anticipated when they established our constitutional republic. The world is shrinking and becoming increasingly interconnected and borderless. New communication technologies, and new ways of working with these technologies, are being rapidly developed. As we begin the second decade of the 21st century, the law is changing dramatically as it seeks to shape and adapt to new conditions.
Every year on May 1, Americans celebrate Law Day — an opportunity for all Americans to reflect on the rule of law and the foundations of our legal system. It’s a time to celebrate the rich history of our legal system and a time to consider its future in this rapidly changing world.
When President Dwight Eisenhower established Law Day on May 1, 1958, as “a day of national dedication to the principle of government under law,” he sought to highlight and honor, for all Americans, our enduring legal culture.
Law Day is being commemorated all across our nation by bar associations, courts, civic groups and schools—by lawyers, judges, teachers, and citizens. To meaningfully mark this observance, they are engaging in activities to enhance public understanding of law and the role that lawyers and judges play in American governance and society.
Here in Atlanta, the Atlanta Bar Association, Atlanta Bar Foundation, Atlanta Police Department, Fulton County Courts, Fulton Emergency Management, Fulton Sheriff and the Multi-Bar Leadership Council are all coordinating public events and special programs to mark this day. The Fulton County Courthouse complex will welcome visitors and conduct special programs for jurors, and organizations will provide volunteer attorneys and paralegals who will be available for free legal assistance.
Law in the 21st Century: Enduring Traditions, Emerging Challenges. Law Day 2010 provides us with an opportunity to understand and appreciate the emerging challenges that confront our world—and the law—in the 21st century. We encourage all Americans to take this opportunity to refresh their understanding of our legal system and reaffirm our shared national allegiance to the rule of law.
