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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 200, Proclamation No. 8250.
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 requests the President to issue a Proclamation each year and 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; … for the cultivation of the respect for law that is so vital to the democratic way of life ... 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. The ABA’s theme for 2009 is “A Legacy of Liberty - Celebrating Lincoln’s Bicentennial”. The ABA provides a Planning Guide for legal professionals to help promote Law Day as well as working to publicize Law Day events around the country. Events around the country include a poster and essay contest sponsored by the Alabama State Bar while the U.S. District Court, Central District of California is hosting a Mock Trial Event for high school students.
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.
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 (1958)
Proclamation No. 3268, 3 C.F.R. 4 (1959)
Proclamation No. 3330, 3 C.F.R. 66 (1960)
Proclamation No. 3405, 3 C.F.R. 120 (1961)
Proclamation No. 3445, 3 C.F.R. 155 (1962)
Proclamation No. 3515, 3 C.F.R. 259 (1963)
Proclamation No. 3571, 3 C.F.R. 9 (1964)
Proclamation No. 3633, 3 C.F.R. 90 (1965)
Proclamation No. 3692, 3 C.F.R. 151 (1966)
Proclamation No. 3770, 3 C.F.R. 100 (1967)
Proclamation No. 3828, 3 C.F.R. 318 (1968)
Proclamation No. 3898, 3 C.F.R. 400 (1969)
Proclamation No. 3957, 3 C.F.R. 458 (1970)
Proclamation No. 4032, 3 C.F.R. 12 (1971)
Proclamation No. 4106, 3 C.F.R. 106 (1972)
Proclamation No. 4193, 3 C.F.R. 221 (1973)
Proclamation No. 4289, 3 C.F.R. 360 (1974)
Proclamation No. 4364, 3 C.F.R. 466 (1975)
Proclamation No. 4420, 3 C.F.R. 11 (1976)
Proclamation No. 4499, 3 C.F.R. 18 (1977)
Proclamation No. 4565, 3 C.F.R. 22 (1978)
Proclamation No. 4649, 3 C.F.R. 25 (1979)
Proclamation No. 4733, 3 C.F.R. 27 (1980)
Proclamation No. 4830, 3 C.F.R. 17 (1981)
Proclamation No. 4931, 3 C.F.R. 43 (1982)
Proclamation No. 5052, 3 C.F.R. 47 (1983)
Proclamation No. 5175, 3 C.F.R. 33 (1984)
Proclamation No. 5320, 3 C.F.R. 32 (1985)
Proclamation No. 5460, 3 C.F.R. 44 (1986)
Proclamation No. 5634, 3 C.F.R. 45 (1987)
Proclamation No. 5799, 3 C.F.R. 50 (1988)
Proclamation No. 5959, 3 C.F.R. 37 (1989)
Proclamation No. 6125, 3 C.F.R. 69 (1990)
Proclamation No. 6283, 3 C.F.R. 70 (1991)
Proclamation No. 6429, 3 C.F.R. 51 (1992)
Proclamation No. 6555, 3 C.F.R. 42 (1993)
Proclamation No. 6679, 3 C.F.R. 41 (1994)
Proclamation No. 6792, 3 C.F.R. 36 (1995)
Proclamation No. 6890, 3 C.F.R. 31 (1996)
Proclamation No. 6995, 3 C.F.R. 61 (1997)
Proclamation No. 7090, 3 C.F.R. 33 (1998)
Proclamation No. 7191, 3 C.F.R. 35 (1999)
Proclamation No. 7298, 3 C.F.R. 68 (2000)
Proclamation No. 7431, 3 C.F.R. 72 (2001)
Proclamation No. 7548, 3 C.F.R. 76 (2002)
Proclamation No. 7670, 3 C.F.R. 58 (2003)
Proclamation No. 7778, 3 C.F.R. 32 (2004)
Proclamation No. 7891, 3 C.F.R. 48 (2005)
Proclamation No. 8010, 3 C.F.R. 47 (2006)
Proclamation No. 8135, 3 C.F.R. 50 (2007)
Proclamation No. 8250, 73 F.R. 25,501 (May 6, 2008)
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.
Journal Articles and Speech Transcripts
Griffin B. Bell, Law Day Address, 2 Whittier Law Review 1 (1979).
Stephen Breyer, Law Day, 35 Tulsa Law Journal 221 (2000).
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).
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).
Paul A. Freund, Law Day Address--Law and the Education of the Citizen, 19 South Carolina Law Review 297 (1967).
Leon Jaworski, Youth Leadership--Law Day 1970, 8 Houston Law Review 88 (1970).
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).
Edward H. Levi, Law Day Address, 55 Nebraska Law Review 35 (1975).
George J. Mitchell, Law Day Address, 17 Whittier Law Review 697 (1996).
John N. Mitchell, Law Day Address, 25 Southwestern Law Journal 235 (1971).
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).
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).
William French Smith, Remarks of the Attorney General on Law Day, 34 South Carolina Law Review 247 (1982).
Web Resources
For more information on Law Day and Lincoln see:
- 2009 Law Library Law Day Event
- Lincoln and the Law
- With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition
Last Updated: 04/23/2009