Today, May 1, is Law Day. Law Day was first celebrated on February 3, 1958, when President Eisenhower issued a proclamation establishing it.
In 1961, Congress passed a joint resolution, Pub. L. 87-20, 75 Stat. 43, fixing May 1 of each year as Law Day. That Public Law was codified in 36 U.S. Code 113. That statute states that Law Day is “a special day of celebration by the people of the United States (1) in appreciation of their liberties and their reaffirmation of their loyalty to the United States and of their rededication to the ideals of equality and justice under law in their relations with each other and with other countries; and (2) for the cultivation of the respect for law that is so vital to the democratic way of life.”
At a time when a small minority of persons in some locations are brandishing guns as a means of defeating legal restrictions that they find undesirable, Law Day is more important than ever. Law, and respect for law, is the foundation of a civilized society. Law Day reaffirms that.