E D I T O R ’ S M E S S A G E J o s e l i n e J e a n - L o u i s H a r d r i c k –
P r o f e s s o r – W M U C o o l e y L a w S c h o o l
Law Day Celebrations and History in the Making
the theme for Law Day this year is “ toward a More Perfect union .”
Every year the American Bar Association promotes Law Day celebrations around the nation . In 1958 , President Dwight D . Eisenhower designated May 1st as Law Day , which is meant to celebrate and strengthen the American heritage of liberty , justice , and equality under the law . The theme for Law Day this year is “ Toward a More Perfect Union .” The ABA has been kind enough to make many resources available , including creating a logo and providing them for free on its website , providing the theme , and producing a list of suggested activities for students . 1 In celebration of Law Day this year , my nonprofit Journey to Esquire ® conducted a Writing and Art Competition to acknowl - edge the contributions of lawyers in our society and to create interest in school-aged children in pursuing careers in the law .
The Competition is intended to help students and the public under stand how the law protects our American freedoms . Many have worked diligently to ensure that the United States of America lives up to its ideals that “ all men are created equal ” and are entitled to the “ pursuit of happiness ” and its promises of “ liberty and justice for all .” Lawyers stand at the forefront of these efforts .
The Competition was open to all middle school students in grades 6th - 8th in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties , Florida . We received several submissions and the first-place winner was Christian Guettler , a sixth grader at Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle
School who submitted artwork ( colored pencil on paper ). Christian worked on the piece himself , and we are proud to display it . We also received a nonfiction essay and a fictional short story , which both took home prizes as well . To see these submissions , visit www . journeytoesquire . com / lawday .
In other news , we have witnessed history with the appointment and confirmation of Judge ( soon to be Justice ) Ketanji Brown Jackson . The last five years have involved rapid change in our highest court with the death of two justices , Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg ; and the retirement of two others , Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer . Thus , in a short time we have witnessed five ap - pointments ( including Merrick Garland ) and four confirmations , Justices Neil Gorsuch , Brett Kavanaugh , Amy Coney Barrett , and Jackson . Given that the seats in the Supreme Court of the United States are held for life , this has been a rare occasion indeed to see so many new faces joining the highest court in the nation . The Constitutional Law professor in me cannot help but be astounded and curious about what it means for the future cases that come out of the Supreme Court .
Speaking of changes to the courts , make sure to check out the other articles in this issue , including The Worker ’ s Compensation Section ’ s article discussing Florida ’ s First District Court of Appeal ’ s revisitation of the
Continued on page 5
4 M a y - J u n 2 0 2 2 | H C B a L a W y E R