By Andrea Hanis, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
In proclaiming Law Day in 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower said the world “no longer has a choice between force and law. If civilization is to survive, it must choose the rule of law,” notes Mary Smith, the Chicago attorney who is president of the American Bar Association this year.
The ABA set the theme “Voices of Democracy” for Law Day 2024, which is Wednesday, noting that it is a presidential election year.
“Today, our democracy is under threat, and as lawyers, we have a special duty to raise our voices to uphold the pillars of our democracy, including the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law,” Smith said in a statement. “We lawyers lift our voices today with our fellow Americans to preserve our constitution's promises of freedom and justice.”
For the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s annual “Law Day Letters,” we invited bar association and law school leaders to examine the theme of the leadership voice in their roles, reflecting on how they advance their organizations’ missions and lift the voices of others. Inclusiveness, courage and values were common themes.