Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Celebrating "the rule of law"

In the U.S., May Day is also "Law Day" (est. 1958), "a national day to celebrate the rule of law and its contributions to the freedoms Americans enjoy."

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This 2010 LHB post discusses Law Day's origins and its changing meaning over time.

The Library of Congress archives presidential Law Day proclamations. In 2010, the theme was "Law in the 21st Century: Enduring Traditions and Emerging Challenges." In his proclamation, President Obama highlighted our "increasingly interconnected world," in which "legal issues of human rights, criminal justice, intellectual property, business transactions, dispute resolution, human migration, and environmental regulation affect us all." The 2011 theme, by contrast, looked inward: Law Day celebrants reflected on "The Legacy of John Adams: From Boston to Guantanamo." The 2012 theme is "No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom."