May 2008 - Preserving Our Heritage of Justice

• Publication year: 2008
• Pages: 13
• Citation: Vol. 37 No. 5 Pg. 13

37 Colo.Law. 13 Colorado Lawyer 2008.

2008, May, Pg. 13. May 2008 - Preserving Our Heritage of Justice

The Colorado Lawyer
May 2008
Vol. 37, No. 5 [Page 13]

In and Around the Bar
Essay
Preserving Our Heritage of Justice
by Russell E. Carparelli

May 2008

About the Author

Hon. Russell E. Carparelli has been a judge on the Colorado Court of Appeals for five years. Before that, he practiced law for twenty-nine years. He began his legal career as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Air Force, where among other assignments, he served as a criminal court trial judge and as an appellate judge on the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals. He retired from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1990. Between 1990 and 2003, he was in private practice in the Denver area.

May 1, 2008, is the fiftieth anniversary of the first Law Day in the United States. The theme of Law Day 2008 is "Rule of Law." This essay was adapted from a speech delivered by the author during the 2007 Law Day events in Loveland, Colorado. It recounts the origin of Law Day and reflects on the necessity of continuously fostering justice in our culture to preserve the Rule of Law.

The Origin of Law Day

Law Day was conceived by American Bar Association President Charles S. Rhyne in 1957.(fn1) It was the height of the Cold War, and every May 1, the Soviet Union celebrated communism by parading its weapons in Red Square.(fn2) Rhyne was bothered that the Soviet government was placing so much attention and importance on its power and ability to make war. He thought the United States should do something to contrast the Soviet Union's rule by force with America's commitment to the Rule of Law.(fn3) So, he proposed that President Dwight D. Eisenhower issue a Presidential Proclamation declaring the first Law Day.(fn4)

Rhyne drafted a proclamation and presented it to Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, who signed it and forwarded it to President Eisenhower's Chief of Staff, former New Hampshire Governor Sherman Adams. However, Adams did not present it to the President for signature. When Rhyne asked about its status, Adams declared that the President would not sign a proclamation "praising lawyers."(fn5) Adams apparently thought Rhyne was urging the institution of a Lawyer's Day - in the nature of Mother's Day or Father's Day

Rhyne took matters into his own hands and personally presented the proposed proclamation to President Eisenhower Adams entered the Oval Office on Rhyne's heels. The President apparently already was reading the document. Adams was emphatic in his effort to dissuade the President,...