14 April 2011
Governor signs Law Day proclamation; chief justice, Supreme Court judges attend ceremony
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri Chief Justice William Ray Price Jr. and Supreme Court of Missouri Judges Patricia Breckenridge, Mary R. Russell, Laura Denvir Stith and Michael A. Wolff attended a ceremony Thursday morning, April 14, in Governor Jay Nixon’s capitol building office at which Nixon signed a proclamation declaring May 1 to be Law Day in Missouri. We believe this marks the first time that Law Day, established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, has been proclaimed officially in Missouri.
“We at the Supreme Court thank the governor for memorializing the importance of the rule of law in the proclamation he signed,” Price said. “Law Day is a special day set aside for the citizens of Missouri to rededicate ourselves to the ideals of equality and justice under law.”
In his proclamation, Nixon “urge[s] the citizens of Missouri to observe Law Day in the spirit of appreciation for the protection and freedoms we all enjoy under the law” and “call[s] upon members of the legal profession, educators, civic organizations, public officials and the media to promote the observance of Law Day in Missouri.”
Quoting Eisenhower, Nixon’s proclamation states that “it is fitting that the people of this Nation should remember with pride and vigilantly guard the great heritage of liberty, justice, and equality under law which our forefather bequeathed to us ….”
The proclamation and a photograph from the ceremony are attached.
The Supreme Court’s own Law Day celebration, sponsored with The Missouri Bar, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, May 5 at the Supreme Court Building in Jefferson City. In conjunction with the American Bar Association’s theme for Law Day, “The Legacy of John Adams: From Boston to Guantanamo,” Missouri’s Law Day celebration will focus on “Defending the Unpopular Defendant.” It will feature keynote remarks from Timothy R. Cisar, a criminal defense attorney from Lake Ozark who is a former recipient of the Atticus Finch Award from the Missouri Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
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Contact: Beth S. Riggert
Communications Counsel
Supreme Court of Missouri
(573) 751-3676
proclamation signed 04-14-11.JPG
group receiving proclamation - Governor's Office photo.JPG
(Photo courtesy of the Office of Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon. From left: Supreme Court Judge Laura Denvir Stith; Supreme Court Judge Patricia Breckenridge; Supreme Court Fellow Mary V. Moore Johnson, a professor from Southeast Missouri State University; State Courts Administrator Greg Linhares; Chief Justice William Ray Price Jr.; Governor Jay Nixon; Supreme Court Judge Michael A. Wolff; Supreme Court Judge Mary R. Russell; Keith A. Birkes, executive director of The Missouri Bar; Sebrina A. Barrett, deputy executive director of The Missouri Bar; and Beth S. Riggert, communications counsel for the Supreme Court of Missouri.)