2011
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 11-1020
       
       BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Gardner B., Acree, Barker, Duran,
       Kagan, Lee, Levy, McCann, McNulty, Pabon, Waller, Balmer,
       Baumgardner, Becker, Beezley, Brown, Casso, Conti, Coram, Court,
       DelGrosso, Ferrandino, Fields, Fischer, Gardner D., Gerou,
       Hamner, Holbert, Hullinghorst, Jones, Joshi, Kefalas, Kerr A., Kerr
       J., Labuda, Looper, Massey, McKinley, Miklosi, Murray, Nikkel,
       Pace, Peniston, Priola, Ramirez, Riesberg, Ryden, Schafer S., Scott,
       Solano, Sonnenberg, Soper, Stephens, Summers, Swalm, Swerdfeger,
       Szabo, Todd, Tyler, Vaad, Vigil, Williams A., Wilson;
       also SENATOR(S) Carroll, Heath, Johnston, Mitchell, Roberts,
       Scheffel, Shaffer B., Steadman.
       
          CONCERNING THE RECOGNITION OF LAW DAY IN
       COLORADO. 
       
       
          WHEREAS, In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the
       first Law Day as "a day of national dedication to the principles of
       government under law"; and
       
          WHEREAS, Every president since has taken the occasion of Law Day
       as an annual opportunity to proclaim our nation's ongoing commitment to
       the democratic rule of law; and
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
          WHEREAS, This year, Law Day provides us with an opportunity to
       consider the important legacy of the first American lawyer-president and
       one of our nation's greatest founders, John Adams; and
       
          WHEREAS, In 1770, Massachusetts lawyer John Adams represented
       a British officer and several soldiers accused of killing five colonists
       protesting in the Boston Massacre; and
       
          WHEREAS, Although already a prominent leader in the American
       colonial resistance to British parliamentary authority, Adams agreed to
       take on the cases because, in his own words, "Judgment of Death against
       those Soldiers would have been as foul a Stain upon this Country as the
       Executions of the Quakers or Witches, anciently"; and
       
          WHEREAS, Adams's role in the trials has come to be seen as an
       example of adherence to the rule of law and zealous defense of the rights
       of the accused, even in cases where advocates may represent unpopular
       clients and become involved in matters that generate public controversy;
       and
       
          WHEREAS, Adams's able defense was motivated by his faith in due
       process of law, in what he would later famously phrase as "a government
       of laws, not of men"; and
       
          WHEREAS, Writing the Novanglus essays in 1775, Adams first
       expressed his firmly held belief in the rule of law as the foundation for
       republican government and the basis for political liberty; and
       
          WHEREAS, On this year's Law Day, May 1, 2011, all Americans
       should reflect on the legal legacy of John Adams, the enduring meaning
       of "a government of laws, not of men", and the vital role played by our
       country's legal institutions, including our adversarial legal system, citizen
       juries, and independent courts; and
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
          WHEREAS, By appreciating our legal rights and valuing our civic
       responsibilities, Americans can work together to sustain our national
       commitment to a democratic society under law; now, therefore,
       
          Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-eighth
       General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:
       
          That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly, proclaim
       May 1, 2011, as Law Day in Colorado to acknowledge the importance of
       our nation's legal and judicial systems.
       
          Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to
       Paul Chan, President of the Colorado Bar Association; Stephen Zack,
       President of the American Bar Association; John W. Suthers, Colorado
       Attorney General; Michael L. Bender, Chief Justice of the Colorado
       Supreme Court; and the members of Colorado's Congressional delegation.
       
       
       
       
       
       
       ________________________________________________________
       Frank McNulty                    Brandon C. Shaffer 
       SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE                    PRESIDENT OF
       OF REPRESENTATIVES                        THE SENATE
       
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Marilyn Eddins                        Cindi Markwell
       CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE                SECRETARY OF
       OF REPRESENTATIVES                        THE SENATE