CHICAGO, Sept. 14, 2023 — American Bar Association President Mary Smith sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee leaders Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) strongly supporting S. Res. 333, a bipartisan resolution to designate 2024 as the Year of Democracy and urging the Senate to pass it as soon as possible.
“As you well know, democracy is foundational to American society and the welfare of the American people, yet it is under threat today as never before,” Smith wrote in the letter, adding that “Americans across the political spectrum must work together to fortify our democracy.”
Smith pointed out that lawyers have a critical role to play in bolstering democracy and noted the ABA’s efforts to accomplish that through the establishment of an ABA Task Force for American Democracy, co-chaired by former Judge J. Michael Luttig and former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Charles Johnson and other ABA initiatives to restore confidence in our democratic institutions through protecting the integrity of our election process, ensuring the security of election workers, enhancing civics education and promoting civility and collaboration.
“These priorities are also reflected in the 2024 Law Day theme, “Voices of Democracy,” which encourages Americans to participate in elections by deepening their understanding of the electoral process, discussing issues in honest and civil ways,” Smith wrote in the letter.
Read a full copy of the letter here.
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.