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Every year on May 1, since 1958, attorneys across the country have celebrated Law Day. But this year was different in Indianapolis.
For the first time, hundreds of attorneys and judges gathered in the plaza outside the Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse Thursday afternoon for a public ceremony to renew their vows to the Constitution.
The Indianapolis Bar Association partnered with the Indiana State Bar Association and others for the Inaugural Law Day Rally, which occurred against a national backdrop of debate over President Donald Trump’s approach toward due process, his executive orders against targeted law firms and his verbal attacks against judges.
Trump’s name wasn’t mentioned in any of the public speeches given at the rally. Organizers described the event simply as a way to celebrate the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession.
There were a few people near the rally holding signs supporting the rule of law.
Retired criminal defense attorney Richard Denning held a sign with part of the Fifth Amendment written on it.
“No person shall deny life, liberty and property without due process of law,” Denning said. “By person, what they meant is anyone within the United States. So you don’t have to be a citizen to get due process of law. But it’s important to citizens that everybody has that right.”
He added that defying courts or anyone’s due process rights is going against the rule of law.
“The rule of law guarantees that all people, regardless of power or position, have the right to legal representation and access to the courts,” IndyBar President Lee Christie said. “It demands that lawyers be free to speak and to advocate and to challenge the government without fear of retaliation. The four core principles of our Law Day Rally are to underscore its importance, safeguarding our democratic institutions and ensuring equal justice for all, to protect our judicial independence.”
Hundreds of attorneys and judges crammed together in the plaza downtown Indianapolis with strong winds popping balloons and threatening to blow away speeches.
“May 1 marks our annual opportunity to reflect on the cornerstone of our democracy, the rule of law,” IBSA President Michael Jasaitis said. “The principle isn’t just a legal concept confined to courtrooms and classrooms. It’s the invisible framework that allows our society to function with various predictability. The rule of law means no individual stands above our legal system.”
Jasaitis added that the ISBA stands firm in its commitment to the rule of law.
“We call on every Hoosier, lawyer, judge, legal professional, and citizen to join us in protecting and strengthening the rule of law,” Jasaitis said.
Indiana Supreme Court Justice Christopher Goff spoke on how many believe right now that judges are not always impartial and that lawyers are only after a fee.
“I believe such views present a grave threat to the rule of law, and I believe them to be unfounded,” Goff said.
He pointed to President Abraham Lincoln’s House Divided speech as showing the way forward for lawyers and judges.
Goff said that when he was a young attorney, he thought all the biggest fights to be had in the courtroom had already happened.
“I never dreamed that so many divisive issues, although seemingly settled, would be once again up for debate,” Goff said.
He added that if “you aspire to fight the good fight” now is a good time to be a lawyer.
“We live in a time that can be dark and cruel, but we have an alternative to offer to our friends and neighbors. We offer a way of resolving conflict peacefully. We offer a way of living together and mutually benefiting each other and of benefiting our communities, we offer the rule of law.” Goff said. “Friends, let us not be a house divided for nearly two and a half centuries. Our profession has been entrusted with the awesome responsibility of securing and safeguarding the rule of law.”
Senior Judge of the Southern District Sarah Evans Barker addressed the crowd before administering the oath. She recalled when she took the oath in 1969.
“Whenever I administer the oath, I encourage people to think about the fact that these words matter, that the words were carefully chosen, and they were intended for you to say and to take to heart and to embody in your own professional lives,” Barker said.
Conservative Republican attorneys said they saw nothing controversial about the event.
“All lawyers should agree, as I do, with the principles they list,” said prominent conservative GOP lawyer James Bopp.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita posted on social media about celebrating the rule of law on Thursday.
“Our office is committed to upholding justice, defending Hoosiers’ rights, and ensuring our laws are enforced fairly. Let’s honor the principles that make Indiana strong,” the post read.
The Indiana Oath of Attorneys is as follows:
“I do solemnly swear or affirm that: I will support the Consitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Indiana; I will maintain the respect due to court of justice and judicial officers; I will not counsel or maintain any action, proceeding, or defense which shall not prevent me from defending a person charged with crime in any case; I will employ for the purpose of maintaining the causes confided to me, such means only as are consistent with truth, never seek to mislead the court or jury by any artifice or false statement of fact or law; I will maintain the confidence and preserve inviolate the secrets of my client at every peril to myself; I will abstain from offensive personality and advance no fact prejudicial to the honor or reputation of a party or witness, unless required by the justice of the cause with which I am charged; I will not encourage either the commencement or the continuance of any action or proceeding from any motive of passion or interest; I will never reject, from any consideration personal to myself, the cause of the defenseless, the oppressed or those who cannot afford adequate legal assistance; so help me God.”
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