May 1, 2012 – Join us in celebrating national Law Day where we commemorate the rule of law and its contributions to the freedoms we as Americans enjoy every day. Its origins date back to 1957 where former President of the American Bar Association, Charles S. Rhyne, envisioned a day to recognize the struggles of workers and their fight for better wages and working conditions. On February 3, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a proclamation that established May 1st as Law Day. It was later designated as a holiday by Congress through a Joint Resolution in 1961.
Interestingly, many other countries celebrate May Day on the same date as Labour Day or International Workers Day. It is believed that Law Day was created in an attempt to counter those holidays since they were perceived to have communist undertones. Today, Law Day is mostly celebrated by the legal community through bar associations, courts and various educational entities and is not a governmental holiday. Let’s all help remind each other of the importance of our legal system and where it has brought us today. The American Bar Association’s theme for Law Day 2012 is “No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom.”
