WASHINGTON, April 22, 2022 — The American Bar Association will host three virtual events to mark Law Day 2022, addressing the theme, “Toward a More Perfect Union: The Constitution in Times of Change.”
On this year’s theme, ABA President Reginald Turner said, “Signed in 1787, our Constitution is a dynamic blueprint for government that delegates power, articulates rights and offers mechanisms for change. It reminds us that defining and refining those words might be our oldest national tradition. Each of us has a responsibility to help the United States become a more perfect Union.”
The programs are:
Virtual Law Day Event for Young Adults: Toward a More Perfect Union, Perspectives on Practice and the Constitution — What is the role of the Constitution, especially in turbulent times? Should the Constitution be subject to more frequent change or be an unwavering source of guidance regardless of issues of the day? These and other questions will be explored, and the role and impact of lawyers will be discussed at a program co-sponsored by the ABA’s Young Lawyers Division. The event will be recorded and shared with all who register for on-demand viewing. Wednesday, April 27, noon-1 p.m. EDT. To register, click here. Young adults are invited to submit their questions in advance about the Constitution and the legal profession. To submit, click here.
Toward a More Perfect Union: The Constitution in Times of Change — This national Law Day program in partnership with the Law Library of Congress, shares the same name as this year’s theme. It will feature a discussion about Constitutional change in the United States, social movements that lead to change and shifts in U.S. Supreme Court jurisprudence.
ABA President Reginald Turner will preside. Law Librarian of Congress, Aslihan Bulut, and Orlando Lucero, National Law Day chair, will give remarks. Speakers include Wilfred Codrington, assistant professor of law at Brooklyn School of Law; Orin Kerr, professor of law at University of California, Berkeley College of Law; Sophia Lin Lakin, deputy director of ACLU Voting Rights Project; and Elizabeth Slattery, senior legal fellow and deputy director of Pacific Legal Foundation’s Center for the Separation of Powers. Stephen Wermiel, professor of Practice in Constitutional Law at American University Washington College of Law, will serve as moderator. The virtual event will be Thursday, April 28, 3-4:30 p.m. EDT. To register, click here.
2022 ABA Survey of Civic Literacy — Conducted annually in celebration of Law Day, the survey measures the American public’s civics knowledge as well as their views on a range of topical issues, including measures affecting voting rights and access.
This virtual event will feature ABA President Reginald M. Turner as well as a panel discussion about the survey results. Panelists are moderator Yamiche Alcindor, Washington correspondent for NBC News and moderator for PBS’ “Washington Week”; Janai S. Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund; Wendy K. Mariner, former chair of ABA Section of Civil Rights & Social Justice and founder of the Task Force on Fair Elections and Voting Rights; and Phillip J. Strach, partner at Nelson Mullins in Raleigh, North Carolina, and litigator for both plaintiffs and states in redistricting cases for 20 years, including those in North Carolina and Ohio. Friday, April 29, noon-1 p.m. EDT. To register, click here.
“We hope that this year’s theme shows us that the Constitution is a resilient document – one that will continue to have power and vitality, even as our country changes,” said Orlando Lucero, National Law Day chair. “I believe that the Constitution affords our country and its citizens the best path forward, and that in our current polarizing times, we all need to rally around the Constitution precisely because it is what we need to help us navigate the challenges of change that we face.”
The ABA has launched a web page with essays on the Law Day theme translated into Spanish to help Spanish speakers learn about “El Día de la Ley” and this year’s theme.
The ABA provides resources for schools, state and local bar associations, civic organizations and others who are planning programs and activities for public audiences to discuss the theme either live and virtually. To view various resources and upcoming programs, go to www.lawday.org.
To view ABA President Reginald Turner’s Law Day video message, click here.
All events are free and open to members of the media and the public, but registration is required. For media credentialing, contact Betsy Adeboyejo at (202) 662-1039 or [email protected].
About Law Day
Envisioned in 1957 by then-ABA President Charles S. Rhyne as a national day to recognize the country’s commitment to the rule of law, Law Day was established by President Dwight Eisenhower the following year. Congress issued a joint resolution in 1961 designating May 1 as the official Law Day. Many civic groups and bar associations celebrate with programs, presentations, and events. Visit the ABA’s Law Day website (LawDay.org) for Law Day resources.
Law Day is sponsored by the ABA Division for Public Education, whose mission is to promote public understanding of law and its role in society.
The ABA is the largest voluntary association of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.