Oswego County Law Day

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower made the first Law Day Proclamation to strengthen our great heritage of liberty, justice, and equality under the law. Charles S. Rhyne, then president of the American Bar Association, delivered a Law Day speech in a radio broadcast for Voice of America on the first Law Day, May 1, 1958. In 1961, May 1 was designated by Joint Resolution of Congress as the official date for celebrating Law Day, U.S.A.

Each Law Day is built around a central theme. Programs and ideas spurred by the theme make Law Day informative and fun for students, the legal community, and the community at large. Read more about Law Day at the American Bar Association website.

This year's theme is "The Legacy of John Adams, from Boston to Guantanamo."

Resistance leader and patriot, advocate and diplomat, constitutional theorist and political activist, John Adams became our nation's first lawyer-president in 1797. Just five years before the American Revolutionary War began, he represented the British officer and soldiers charged with firing into a crowd of protestors and killing five civilians in the "Boston Massacre."

Already a prominent leader in the American colonial resistance to British parliamentary authority, Adams agreed to take on the cases and ably defended the accused at trial. His role in the 1770 Boston Massacre trials has come to be seen as a lawyerly exemplar of adherence to the rule of law and defense of the rights of the accused, even in cases when advocates may represent unpopular clients and become involved in matters that generate public controversy.

The 2011 Law Day theme provides us with an opportunity to assess and celebrate the legacy of John Adams, explore the historical and contemporary role of lawyers in defending the rights of the accused, and renew our understanding of and appreciation for the fundamental principle of the rule of law.

On April 29, 2011, Law Day will be celebrated in Oswego County. A ceremony will be held at the Oswego County Courthouse at 9 a.m.

Home | Mock Trial Program | Upcoming Events | Contact Us