On April 30, 2015, the New Orleans Chapter hosted Law Day at Civil District Court in New Orleans. Links Terri Love, Angelique Reed, Ernestine Gray, Tracey Flemings-Davillier, Torrie Harris, Sunni LeBeouf and Veronica Henry welcomed students and teachers from Wilson School. Presentations were made by Link chapter members who are Judges. Some of the issues discussed included: the importance of jury duty; how a lawsuit is brought to civil and criminal court; how a lawsuit is ultimately resolved; the roles of Judges, Prosecutors and Defense Attorneys; and the rules of decorum and civility in the courthouse. The culmination of the day was the students’ reenactment of the State of Louisiana v. Dorothy Gale (of the Wizard of Oz). Dorothy was found not guilty by the students. Reactions from the students ranged from “amazing” to “inspiring”. Many of the students stated that they were inspired in some way to further explore careers in law.
Law Day is a national day to celebrate the rule of law and its contributions to the freedoms Americans enjoy.
Law Day had its origin in 1957, when American Bar Association (ABA) President Charles S. Rhyne envisioned a special day for celebrating our legal system. On February 3, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established Law Day by issuing a proclamation. Every President since then has issued an annual Law Day Proclamation.
