Saturday, May 1, 2010

Lawyers, Know Your Legal History, Says Judge McCann

Friday's on-line edition of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette carried the report of the address of a Massachusetts Superior Court Judge John S. McCann, at an annual Law Day function.

According to the report, the judge
urged members of the local bar today to reflect on the past as they confront the legal challenges of the 21st century.

“First, I challenge you to know your legal history, your background and where your predecessor lawyers came from,” said Judge McCann, the guest speaker at the Worcester County Bar Association’s annual Law Day breakfast at the Crowne Plaza hotel.

“The Civil War freed the slaves. Our Supreme Court in Plessy vs. Ferguson kept those freed in a semi-state of bondage. Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education overturned the Plessy case and freed former slaves more.

“And still, the quest for equality of the descendants of the slaves continues. It was lawyers who brought the legal issues forward. I suggest you lawyers will continue to do so on today’s major issues,” Judge McCann told the gathering of about 150 lawyers and judges and their guests.
More. Image credit