I remain haunted by last week’s images of lawyers protesting in the streets of Lahore. Their defiant response to Musharraf’s declaration of martial law reminds us of how integral the rule of law is to a functioning democracy.
How might we honor law’s place in delivering justice and safeguarding human rights? How can we recognize the importance of law and its institutions?
Garrett Epps, writing for The Nation, proposes that “We Need a Nobel Prize in Law“.
I, for one, agree.
For a stirring reminder of why the rule of law matters, read the text of the 1958 radio address by then American Bar Association president Charles Rhyne announcing the enactment of Law Day, a “day of national dedication to the principle of government under law”. May 1, 2008, incidentally, marks Law Day’s 50th anniversary.
