2013 Law Day focuses on equality

Law Day, celebrated May 1, is a day to mark the nation’s commitment to the rule of law. President Barack Obama has issued his Law Day proclamation on this year’s theme, “Realizing the Dream: Equality of All.”

“Law Day, May 1, 2013, will provide an opportunity to explore the movement for civil and human rights in America and the impact it has had in promoting the ideal of equality under the law. It will provide a forum for reflecting on the work that remains to be done in rectifying injustice, eliminating all forms of discrimination, and putting an end to human trafficking and other violations of our basic human rights. As Rev. Dr. King pointed out in his letter from a Birmingham jail, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,’” Obama said.

Since President Dwight Eisenhower established the day in 1958, every president has issued a proclamation on May 1.

Bar associations around the state celebrate Law Day. The Evansville Bar Association has a Law Week in which more than 260 students participated in mock trials and a student lunch. The Editorial Board of the Evansville Bar Association wrote two opinion pieces for the Evansville Courier & Press about Law Day, running April 28 and May 1, that looked at the struggle the U.S. has in defining equality and examined that struggle in connection with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, an issue currently before the Supreme Court of the United States.  

The Allen County Bar Association marks Law Day with an annual luncheon and presentation of the Liberty Bell Award. This year’s luncheon is May 6 and the keynote speaker is Peter Alexander, dean of the Indiana Tech Law School.

Dr. Saneta Maiko, executive director of Crime Victim Care of Allen County will receive the award. He established the nonprofit agency in 2005 to bring wholeness to immigrants and refugee families who experience brokenness due to violence, crime, mental health issues, addictions, abuse and neglect. Maiko is an immigrant from Kenya.