Law Day

Last Wednesday, May 1, was Law Day in the United States.  It has been so since 1958, when first proclaimed by President Eisenhower and later became part of the United States Code (Public Law 87-20 April 7, 1961).  The American Bar Association  had a hand in its establishment, and again this year has proclaimed it; Likewise, President Biden has signed a proclamation recognizing it.

This years Law Day is in the midst of all sorts of citizen inservice education on how the Law works.  My only editorial comment: we are fortunate to live in a country which still follows the Rule of Law, tedious as it can be.

For many years I was an active member of an organization which informally expanded Law Day to World Law Day.  I’m retired now, but still support the essential premise: Law is designed to mediate conflict.

In the course of developing the archival record of this group (below), I came across a very interesting booklet published by the American Bar Association booklet on the Rule of Law.  A pdf in four parts is here: Law Day Am Bar Assoc 1959 (c0ver through p. 17); Law Day (2) Am Bar Assoc 1959 (pages 18-24); Law Day (3) Am Bar Assoc 1959 (pages 25-43); Law Day (4) Am Bar Assoc 1959 (pp 45-52).

If I were to recommend a single page to read, it would be 49, “Law in a Treehouse World”.  The booklet is a seminar for any novice in the law.

The group, World Federalists, now Citizens for Global Solutions (national) and Citizens for Global Solutions MN, worked on the premise that if Law was a good system for working through problems in our country, it would be as useful for the nations of the world as well.

The world is a complex place, so is our country, so is every subdivision of our country.  The Law at minimum helps to bring some sense of order to the inevitable chaos that would exist if there was no Law, or law by fiat of a dictator.