On May 1, the United States officially recognizes Law Day, an opportunity to reflect on the role of law in the founding of our country and to underscore how law and the legal process have contributed to the freedoms that all Americans share.
Each year, the American Bar Association designates a theme to highlight an important issue relating to the law or legal system. The 2018 theme, “Separation of Powers: Framework for Freedom,” enables us to reflect on the separation of powers as fundamental to our constitutional purpose and to consider how our governmental system is working for ourselves and our posterity. The U.S. Constitution sets out a system of government with distinct and independent branches—Congress, the Presidency, and a Supreme Court. It also defines legislative, executive, and judicial powers and outlines how they interact. These three separate branches share power, and each branch serves as a check on the power of the others.
As a defender of the freedoms shared by all Americans, MacDill AFB encourages all airmen to use Law Day as an opportunity to reflect on our constitutional principles and their role in safeguarding freedom.
For ideas on how to implement this year’s theme, check out the resources available on the ABA Law Day website, www.lawday.org. Here you’ll find a planning guide, a handbook for creating a dialogue on the Separation of Powers in your communities, and many other useful materials.