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Earlier this month, we observed Law Day — a moment set aside to recognize a simple but powerful idea: In America, we are governed by laws, not by individuals.
Established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and later designated by Congress, Law Day was intended to highlight what makes our system distinct: a government grounded in fairness, individual rights, and the rule of law — not the will of any one person. In a tense moment in world history, that message mattered. Today, it still does.
While Law Day itself has passed, its purpose should not. It is meant to prompt reflection — not just for a day but as an ongoing responsibility. The principles it represents endure only if we continue to understand and uphold them.
At its core, the rule of law means no one is above the law, and the same rules apply to everyone. It sounds straightforward, but maintaining that principle takes constant effort. One of the most important ways we do that is by ensuring our courts remain independent.
I’ve spent my career in many parts of the justice system here in Indiana — beginning at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Indianapolis while still in law school, later serving as an assistant U.S. attorney, a public defender, a deputy prosecutor and the U.S. attorney for the Southern District. I also spent years in private practice. Those experiences on all sides of the courtroom reinforced a simple truth: The system only works when it is fair, consistent and grounded in the law.
That perspective stayed with me during my time as a federal judge — first on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, where I served for two decades, and later on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.
Courts have a clear role. They decide cases based on the law and the facts in front of them — not politics, not public pressure, not headlines. That independence isn’t about protecting judges. It’s about protecting the people who rely on the courts to be fair.
When courts can do their job without outside influence, they help protect our rights, resolve disputes peacefully and keep our system in balance. When that independence is questioned or weakened, confidence in the system begins to erode — and that has real consequences.
Most of what courts do never makes the news. Day in and day out, judges in Indiana and across the country handle cases involving families, businesses, contracts and communities.
Not every decision is popular. That’s not the point. What matters is that the process is fair, consistent, and impartial. That’s what allows people to accept outcomes, even when they disagree with them.
If Law Day serves any lasting purpose, it is to remind us what makes self-government possible in the first place. It’s not just elections or institutions. It’s a shared commitment to the rule of law.
And that responsibility doesn’t rest only with lawyers or judges. It belongs to all of us.
The more we understand how our courts work—and why their independence matters—the stronger and more reliable our system will be. These aren’t abstract ideas. They shape our rights, our communities, and how we resolve differences.
That is one reason I joined the nonpartisan civic education efforts of Keep Our Republic’s Article III Coalition — a group of former federal judges appointed by presidents of both parties — working to help Americans better understand our courts and why the rule of law matters.
As we move forward, the question is how we carry the rule of law forward. The strength of our republic depends not just on the principles we recognize but on whether we continue to live by them, day in and day out.•
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Tinder was a circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit from 2007 to 2015 and a district judge on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana from 1987 to 2007.
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