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Law Day
Overview | Legislative Branch Documentsl | Executive Branch Documents | Books | Journal Articles and Speech Transcripts| Web Resources
Overview
Law Day is a national day to celebrate the rule of law and its contributions to the freedoms Americans enjoy.
Law Day had its origin in 1957, when American Bar Association (ABA) President Charles S. Rhyne envisioned a special day for celebrating our legal system. On February 3, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established Law Day by issuing a Proclamation. Every President since then has issued an annual Law Day Proclamation. Presidential Proclamations are published in the Federal Register. For a recent example see President George W. Bush's Law Day Proclamation for 2007, Proclamation 8135.
On April 7, 1961, Congress passed a Joint Resolution, Pub. L. 87-20, 75 Stat. 43, designating May 1 as Law Day, U.S.A. This Public Law has been codified in Title 36, Section 113 of the United States Code (USC). The Joint Resolution provides that Law Day “is a special day of celebration by the people of the United States … in appreciation of their liberties and the reaffirmation of their loyalty to the United States and of their rededication to the ideals of equality and justice under law in their relations with each other and with other countries; and … for the cultivation of the respect for law that is so vital to the democratic way of life.”
The Joint Resolution requests the President to issue a Proclamation each year “calling on all public officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on Law Day, U.S.A.; and … inviting the people of the United States to observe Law Day, U.S.A., with appropriate ceremonies and in other appropriate ways, through public entities and private organizations and in schools and other suitable places.”
Each year, Law Day (and in some cases, Law Week) events and programs are planned and carried out by bar associations, courts, and other entities. The American Bar Association (ABA) selects a theme each year for the events; for 2008, the theme is “The Rule of Law.” For examples of the kinds of educational activities organized for students, such as poster and essay contests, see the Law Week 2008 page of the Florida Law Related Education Association, Inc; for an examples of events sponsored by local bar associations, see the Law Week 2006 Listing of Local Events Page of the Florida Supreme Court.
Legislative Branch Documents
Law Day, U.S.A., Public Law 87-20, 75 Stat. 43, April 7, 1961, currently codified in 36 United States Code 113.
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, Public law No. 103-322, 108 Stat. 1796, September 13, 1994 (expressing the sense of the Senate, in Section 320920, that law enforcement personnel deserve special acknowledgement on Law Day for guaranteeing the legal rights of all Americans).
Executive Branch Documents
Presidential Proclamations and Executive Orders have been used by presidents to rule on substantive issues of law; to administrate the executive branch of government; and to make general announcements to the public. These general announcements which exhort the public to observe a holiday such as Thanksgiving or honor a particular group of citizens as in National Black History Month are usually issued in the form of a Presidential Proclamation. On many occasions Congress will pass a law specifically requesting the President to take certain action such as proclaiming the recognition of a particular group of citizens such as Jewish or Hispanic Americans.
Proclamation No. 3221, 3 C.F.R. 143 (1954-1958) [PDF/ 291Kb]
Proclamation No. 3268, 3 C.F.R. 4 (1959-1963) [PDF/ 162Kb]
Proclamation No. 3330, 3 C.F.R. 66 (1959-1963) [PDF/ 124Kb]
Proclamation No. 3405, 3 C.F.R. 120 (1959-1963) [PDF/ 163Kb]
Proclamation No. 3445, 3 C.F.R. 155 (1959-1963) [PDF/ 236Kb]
Proclamation No. 3515, 3 C.F.R. 259 (1959-1963) [PDF/ 108Kb]
Proclamation No. 3571, 3 C.F.R. 9 (1964-1965) [PDF/ 119Kb]
Proclamation No. 3633, 3 C.F.R. 90 (1964-1965) [PDF/ 211Kb]
Proclamation No. 3692, 3 C.F.R. 151 (1966-1970) [PDF/ 228Kb]
Proclamation No. 3770, 3 C.F.R. 100 (1966-1970) [PDF/ 218Kb]
Proclamation No. 3828, 3 C.F.R. 318 (1966-1970) [PDF/ 218Kb]
Proclamation No. 3898, 3 C.F.R. 400 (1966-1970) [PDF/ 241Kb]
Proclamation No. 3957, 3 C.F.R. 458 (1966-1970) [PDF/ 101Kb]
Proclamation No. 4032, 3 C.F.R. 12 (1971-1975) [PDF/ 182Kb]
Proclamation No. 4106, 3 C.F.R. 106 (1971-1975) [PDF/ 233Kb]
Proclamation No. 4193, 3 C.F.R. 221 (1971-1975) [PDF/ 180Kb]
Proclamation No. 4289, 3 C.F.R. 360 (1971-1975) [PDF/ 154Kb]
Proclamation No. 4364, 3 C.F.R. 466 (1971-1975) [PDF/ 182Kb]
Proclamation No. 4420, 3 C.F.R. 11 (1976) [PDF/ 202Kb]
Proclamation No. 4499, 3 C.F.R. 18 (1977) [PDF/ 47Kb]
Proclamation No. 4565, 3 C.F.R. 22 (1978) [PDF/ 239Kb]
Proclamation No. 4649, 3 C.F.R. 25 (1979) [PDF/ 179Kb]
Proclamation No. 4733, 3 C.F.R. 27 (1980) [PDF/ 212Kb]
Proclamation No. 4830, 3 C.F.R. 17 (1981) [PDF/ 174Kb]
Proclamation No. 4931, 3 C.F.R. 43 (1982) [PDF/ 236Kb]
Proclamation No. 5052, 3 C.F.R. 47 (1983) [PDF/ 363Kb]
Proclamation No. 5175, 3 C.F.R. 33 (1984) [PDF/ 154Kb]
Proclamation No. 5320, 3 C.F.R. 32 (1985) [PDF/ 211Kb]
Proclamation No. 5460, 3 C.F.R. 44 (1986) [PDF/ 270Kb]
Proclamation No. 5634, 3 C.F.R. 45 (1987) [PDF/ 243Kb]
Proclamation No. 5799, 3 C.F.R. 50 (1988) [PDF/ 200Kb]
Proclamation No. 5959, 3 C.F.R. 37 (1989) [PDF/ 201Kb]
Proclamation No. 6125, 3 C.F.R. 69 (1990) [PDF/ 324Kb]
Proclamation No. 6283, 3 C.F.R. 70 (1991) [PDF/ 254Kb]
Proclamation No. 6429, 3 C.F.R. 51 (1992) [PDF/ 407Kb]
Proclamation No. 6555, 3 C.F.R. 42 (1993) [PDF/ 312Kb]
Proclamation No. 6679, 3 C.F.R. 41 (1994) [PDF/ 284Kb]
Proclamation No. 6792, 3 C.F.R. 36 (1995) [PDF/ 325Kb]
Proclamation No. 6890, 3 C.F.R. 31 (1996) [PDF/ 340Kb]
Proclamation No. 6995, 3 C.F.R. 61 (1997) [PDF/ 12Kb]
Proclamation No. 7090, 3 C.F.R. 33 (1998) [PDF/ 12Kb]
Proclamation No. 7191, 3 C.F.R. 35 (1999) [PDF/ 117Kb]
Proclamation No. 7298, 3 C.F.R. 68 (2000) [PDF/ 33Kb]
Proclamation No. 7431, 3 C.F.R. 72 (2001) [PDF/ 33Kb]
Proclamation No. 7548, 3 C.F.R. 76 (2002) [PDF/ 34Kb]
Proclamation No. 7670, 3 C.F.R. 58 (2003) [PDF/ 33Kb]
Proclamation No. 7778, 3 C.F.R. 32 (2004) [PDF/ 43Kb]
Proclamation No. 7891, 3 C.F.R. 48 (2005) [PDF/ 40Kb]
Proclamation No. 8010, 3 C.F.R. 47 (2006) [PDF/ 31Kb]
Proclamation No. 8135, 72 Fed. Reg. 24,177 (April 27, 2007) [HTML/ 5 Kb]
Presidential Proclamations for the annual observances of Law Day can be browsed through the American Presidency Project by selecting the year and clicking on the Display button.
Presidential Proclamations from 1995 to the present for Law Day may also be searched through the Government Printing Office’s Federal Register Advanced Search page.
Presidential statements, messages, remarks and proclamations from 1993 to the present about Law Day may also be found through the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents page.
Books
American Bar Association, Law Day, U.S.A., May 1, 1960; proclaimed by the President of the United States as a day of dedication to the rule of law in American life; information and program manual, Chicago, Ill.: American Bar Association, 1960.
American Bar Association, Planning guide / American Bar Association (Law Day U.S.A.), Chicago, Ill.: American Bar Association, annual. Current year available from ABA web site, see below.
Journal Articles and Speech Transcripts
David N. Anderson, Every Day is Law Day in Rockford, Illinois, 59 Judicature 78 (1975).
James E. Barrett, Report of Law Day, USA, 15 Wyoming Law Journal 158 (1960).
Griffin Bell, Law Day Dedication Address – Introduction, 31 Mercer Law Review 395 (1979).
Griffin B. Bell, Law Day Address, 2 Whittier Law Review 1 (1979).
Stephen Breyer, Law Day, 35 Tulsa Law Journal 221 (2000).
Hamilton S. Burnett, Law Day - U.S.A., 30 Tennessee Law Review 487 (1963).
Walter Chandler, Law Day Is Our Day, 25 Tennessee Law Review 426 (1958).
Tom C. Clark, Justice among Men - The Significance of Law Day, 48 American Bar Association Journal 313 (1962).
Thomas Coakley, Law Day Is Not Enough, 48 American Bar Association Journal 315 (1962).
William O. Douglas, Remarks on Law Day 1973, 24 Syracuse Law Review 1209 (1973).
Dwight D. Eisenhower and Earl Warren, Statements of the President and Chief Justice on Law Day - U.S.A., 44 American Bar Association Journal 544 (1958).
John F. Foley, Law Day USA: What It Means to Us, 49 American Bar Association Journal 361 (1963).
Paul A. Freund, Law Day Address--Law and the Education of the Citizen, 19 South Carolina Law Review 297 (1967).
Frank C. Haymond, Law Day Address, 68 West Virginia Law Review 158 (1965).
Charles A. Horsky, Law Day: Some Reflections on Current Proposals to Curtail the Supreme Court, 42 Minnesota Law Review 1105 (1958).
Leon Jaworski, Youth Leadership--Law Day 1970, 8 Houston Law Review 88 (1970).
Charles Alvin Jones, Law Day, 68 Dickinson Law Review 419 (1964).
Frank C. Jones, True Lawyers: Speech at Mercer Law Day, March 9, 2001, 9 Journal of Southern Legal History 175 (2001).
Frederick B. Karl, Law Day Remarks, 29 University of Florida Law Review 674 (1977).
Nicholas DeB. Katzenbach, Law Day Address, 18 South Carolina Law Review 371 (1966).
Nicholas deB. Katzenbach, Law Day Address at Emory University School of Law, 14 Journal of Public Law 243 (1965).
Edward H. Levi, Law Day Address, 55 Nebraska Law Review 35 (1975).
Charles McC. Mathias, Jr., Remarks Prepared for Delivery at Law Day Ceremonies at the Pentagon, Friday, May 1, 1970, 12 United States Air Force JAG Law Review 168 (1970).
Edward A. McCarthy, The St. Thomas Lawyer 1989 Law Day Address, 2 St. Thomas Law Forum 1 (1990).
George J. Mitchell, Law Day Address, 17 Whittier Law Review 697 (1996).
John N. Mitchell, Law Day Address, 25 Southwestern Law Journal 235 (1971).
Lois P. Mitchell, What Law Day Means to Me, 1 Santa Clara Lawyer 4 (1961).
Charles G. Morgan, Law Day - Our Heritage of Liberty and Order, 26 Tennessee Law Review 455 (1959).
Philip T. Nicholson, Law Day Film Fare, 61 American Bar Association Journal 511 (1975).
George E. Pataki, Governor George E. Pataki's Remarks Law Day at Pace University School of Law - May 1, 1996, 14 Pace Environmental Law Review 15 (1996).
Neville Patterson, The Establishment of Justice and Respect for the Law - 1980 Law Day Address to Mississippi College School of Law, 2 Mississippi College Law Review 113 (1980).
William G. Paul, Law Day 2001: Home of the Brave, 26 Oklahoma City University Law Review 1103 (2001).
Russell G. Pearce, Law Day 2050: Post-Professionalism, Moral Leadership, and the Law-as-Business Paradigm, 27 Florida State University Law Review 9 (1999). Available online.
Janet Reno, Law Day 1997: A Legacy of Public Service, 26 Capital University Law Review 227 (1997).
Charles S. Rhyne, Law Day - U.S.A.: Emphasizing the Supremacy of Law, 44 American Bar Association Journal 313 (1958).
Charles S. Rhyne, World Peace and Law Day--U.S.A., 8 Journal of Public Law 254 (1959).
Lee E. Skeel, Every Day Is Law Day, 7 Cleveland-Marshall Law Review 558 (1958).
Fred B. Smith, Naturalization and Law Day Speech, Federal Court, Vicksburg, May 1, 1968, 40 Mississippi Law Journal 85 (1968).
William French Smith, Remarks of the Attorney General on Law Day, 34 South Carolina Law Review 247 (1982).
George W. Smyth, Law Day, 9 Juvenile Court Judges Journal 9 (1958).
Harry A. Thompson, Report on Law Day, USA, 14 Wyoming Law Journal 172 (1959).
William Wicker, Law Day U.S.A. – 1962, 29 Tennessee Law Review 485 (1962).
Glenn Winters, Law Day Iowa, 1962, 45 Journal of American Judicature Society 267 (1962).
Web Resources
For more information on Law Day and the Rule of Law see:
Last Updated: 01/02/2009