Legal profession mobilizes: Nationwide oath-taking ceremonies to fight "full-blown assault" on the rule of law
The "unprecedented" demonstrations in front of 40 U.S. courthouses will take place on May 1
For decades, Law Day has been marked by quiet luncheons and lectures.
This year, on Thursday, attorneys across the nation are stepping out of the banquet hall and into the public square, rallying in front of courthouses in more than 40 cities to reaffirm their oaths to the Constitution — a dramatic, live-streamed stand against what organizers call an unprecedented threat to American democracy and the rule of law.
Possible Action Item:
If you’re an attorney who wants to get involved, the National Law Day of Action has a searchable map of events here with instructions on how to RSVP and attend.
A Law Day like no other
Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower probably never had an event like this in mind when he signed the Law Day proclamation in 1958.
Conceived by the then-president of the American Bar Association, the commemoration became a Cold War-era rebuke to the Soviet Union, falling on the same day as one of their most important holidays: International Workers’ Day, better known as May Day.
Some activists and labor movements viewed Law Day as an effort to replace the May Day holiday with one less interested in international solidarity and more focused on austere, patriotic reflection.
But this year’s a new year.
In a phone interview, one of the organizers explained why this Law Day called for a different approach.
“This year, we have been witness to a full-blown assault on the foundations of our democratic system and our legal system,” Traci Feit Love, the executive director for Lawyers for Good Government, told All Rise News.
“We're seeing judges being threatened, law firms punished for defending the Constitution — or for choosing to represent certain clients,” she added. “The executive branch expanding its power unchecked. So I think it's all of those things that has led so many of us who are involved with the Law Day of Action to join together and notice this moment that we're in.”
Recruiting volunteers
More than 70 groups — bar associations, nonprofits, and other organizations across the country — have sponsored the nationwide demonstrations.
“It is absolutely critical, we believe, for lawyers, legal professionals, advocates, and supporters across the country to take a stand — to say we are not going to remain silent when the legal system is being twisted, distorted, and treated as a weapon for personal vendetta,” she said.
The event will also serve as a mobilization event for the legal fights to come.
“We plan to follow up after the events to invite those who haven't already done so to fill out our volunteer form, which is part of the effort that we started back in November or December of this past year to really make sure that we're mapping out where our volunteers are, what their areas of expertise are, and what types of help they're willing to provide,” she said.
Organizers hope the images from the event will send a clear signal to the public.
“Part of what we're hoping to achieve here is to really make an impact with the American public,” Feit Love said. “It's not normal to see groups of lawyers having to show up, retake their oath and stand in front of the federal courthouse to remind everyone of the importance in this country of the rule of law, and the fact that that's happening and the visuals that show it happening, we hope will have an impact — and help to raise awareness about just how serious this moment is.”