[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 123, 111th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 8367--APR. 30, 2009

Proclamation 8367 of April 30, 2009
Law Day, U.S.A., 2009
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

In 1958, President Eisenhower established Law Day as ``a day of national
dedication to the principles of government under law.'' Each year on Law
Day, we celebrate our commitment to the rule of law. That great
commitment is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the
United States Constitution, and has been reaffirmed by the words and
deeds of great Americans throughout our Nation's history.
This year we celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of one such
American, President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln rose from humble beginnings
to guide our Nation through the most turbulent period in its history.
His dedication to the rule of law and to equality under the law,

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and his refusal to retreat from the greatest moral challenge ever to
confront us, gave us the Emancipation Proclamation and the preservation
of our Union. His dedication also gave us the Gettysburg Address, with
its resolution that ``government of the people, by the people, for the
people, shall not perish from the earth.'' Indeed, Lincoln was one of
the greatest Presidents and one of the greatest lawyers, in our Nation's
history.
Lincoln's lasting legacy is his vision of the ``more perfect Union''
promised in our Constitution's preamble. According to Lincoln, ``The
legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people
whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all, or cannot do so
well for themselves, in their separate and individual capacities.'' This
vision of a true United States of America, bound together by a
recognition of the common good, guided our country through its darkest
hour and helped it re-emerge as a beacon of freedom and equality under
law.
On this Law Day, I encourage Americans to reflect on this legacy. By
continuing a national conversation on the principles for which Lincoln
stood, and by highlighting the attributes of this great American, we can
help ensure that the legacy of our sixteenth President endures and that
the United States remains dedicated to the principles of government
under law.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, in accordance with Public Law 87-20, as amended, do hereby
proclaim May 1, 2009, as Law Day, U.S.A. I call upon the people of the
United States to acknowledge the importance of our Nation's legal and
judicial systems with appropriate ceremonies and activities, and to
display the flag of the United States in support of this national
observance.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of
April, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
third.
BARACK OBAMA