[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 18 (Monday, May 10, 1993)]
[Pages 736-737]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6555--Law Day, U.S.A., 1993

 April 30, 1993

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Ours is a Nation of laws, united not just by a common language and 
culture, but by a unique devotion to and belief in a national common 
law: our Constitution.
    On Law Day, we celebrate our Constitution and all of the legal 
institutions that flow from it. Though often thought of as the province 
of lawyers, we must never forget that these laws and institutions were 
created not just by lawyers, but also by farmers and architects; 
businesspeople and laborers; doctors, ranchers, merchants, and 
machinists. The protection under our laws is the birthright of all 
Americans, the great inheritance we have received from those who have 
come before.
    In times past, not all Americans have shared in the rights secured 
by our laws. Courageous and visionary men and women devoted their 
lives--and sometimes sacrificed them--because they believed that none of 
us can enjoy the blessings of liberty unless all of us do. To the people 
who continue to give of themselves each day to this pursuit goes my 
highest tribute on this Law Day.
    Today, as a lawyer and as President, I challenge the members of 
America's legal profession to devote themselves to the great causes and 
the great challenges before us as a Nation. As did your predecessors, 
you must be the leaders in the struggle to promote equality in our 
society and justice in our courts. Just as our laws are meant to benefit 
us all, the practice of law cannot be conducted for private benefit 
alone. I call on all lawyers to make a commitment to public service and 
civic affairs. This is the heritage of our profession, and a duty 
arising from the privilege bestowed upon us as lawyers.
    On Law Day, I want to reiterate the commitment of my Administration 
to the rule of law, both here at home and around the world. My 
Administration will work hard to improve the quality of justice in our 
courts by selecting the very best men and women to serve as Federal 
judges. We will dedicate ourselves to promoting justice in our 
communities by launching new and innovative measures to combat crime and 
ensure public safety. We will pledge to advance justice in our society 
by reinvigorating our civil rights laws and our application of them.
    We will strive to strengthen our families by increasing enforcement 
of our child support laws; to strengthen our environment by demanding 
that polluters pay for the harm that they cause; to strengthen our 
economy by ensuring that all persons have an equal right to opportunity 
and employment. In all of these endeavors, our laws will play a critical 
role.
    On this day, we cannot ignore the criticisms aimed at our legal 
system and the calls for changes in it. I share the view that our legal 
system needs reform. But even as we undertake these reforms, we should 
never forget that it is our legal system that is the envy of the world. 
As the nations around the globe emerge from the long, dark days of the 
past into the new light of freedom, it is to our laws, our courts, our 
private bars--our legal institutions--that they look for inspiration. 
This should be a source of enormous pride for all lawyers and for all 
Americans.
    From the days of our Nation's founding, the torch of freedom has 
been passed from one generation to the next. Today we hold it higher, 
and it burns more brightly than ever. Democracies around the world, new 
and old, look to us to lead the way. The law of our land stands as a 
beacon of hope for these people and for those still yearning to be free.
    The turmoil in various parts of the world attests to the need to 
promote respect for international law and to strengthen international 
institutions for the protection of international peace and security and 
of

[[Page 737]]

human rights. My Administration will also pursue those objectives.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, in accordance with Public Law 87-20 of April 7, 1961, 
do hereby proclaim May 1, 1993, as ``Law Day, U.S.A.'' I urge the people 
of the United States to use this occasion to reflect on our heritage of 
freedom, to familiarize themselves with their rights and 
responsibilities, and to aid others seeking to affirm their rights under 
law.
    I call upon the legal profession, civic associations, educators, 
librarians, public officials, and the media to promote the observance of 
this day through appropriate programs and activities. I also call upon 
public officials to display the flag of the United States on all 
government buildings on Law Day, U.S.A.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day 
of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
seventeenth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:20 a.m., May 3, 1993]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on May 4.