Presidential Document2023-09540
Law Day, U.S.A., 2023
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 3, 2023
Signed
April 28, 2023
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 85 (Wednesday, May 3, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 3, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 27681-27682]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09540]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 3, 2023 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 27681]]
Proclamation 10568 of April 28, 2023
Law Day, U.S.A., 2023
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
When our Founding Fathers convened to write the
Constitution over 235 years ago, they set in motion an
experiment that changed the world. America would not be
a land of kings but a Nation of laws. Since then,
generations of Americans have worked to defend and
improve our laws, hold accountable those who break or
undermine them, and ensure equal rights and protections
for all. On Law Day, we celebrate the rule of law and
rededicate ourselves to the pursuit of a more perfect
Union.
Our Nation and world are at an inflection point. At
home and around the globe, autocrats and dictators
threaten the rule of law. Our democracy is under
strain, with people's rights, including the sacred
right to vote, at risk. We face a choice between moving
backward--unravelling so much of the progress our
Nation has made--or moving forward toward a future of
possibilities and promise.
We must choose to move forward. That is why my
Administration is protecting the right to vote--the
right from which all others flow, including the power
to establish our Nation's laws. Since taking office, I
have issued an Executive Order promoting access to
voter registration and election information, and signed
into law the Electoral Count Reform Act, which
establishes clear guidelines for certifying and
counting electoral votes to help preserve the will of
the people against future attempts to overturn our
elections. The Department of Justice has also
strengthened its ability to fight unlawful voter
suppression in the courts. I continue to call on the
Congress to pass the Freedom to Vote Act and the John
Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to further
strengthen our democracy.
Respecting the rule of law also means supporting equal
access to justice. My Administration reestablished the
Department of Justice's Office for Access to Justice to
help ensure that all Americans, regardless of wealth or
status, have quality legal aid when they need it and to
remove barriers--including language barriers--that
prevent people from understanding and navigating the
legal system.
We are also working to ensure that hate has no safe
harbor in America. I signed the bipartisan COVID-19
Hate Crimes Act into law, making it easier to report
hate crimes and helping State, local, and Tribal law
enforcement agencies better track these crimes. I
secured the largest-ever increase in funding for the
physical security of nonprofits, including churches,
gurdwaras, mosques, synagogues, temples, and other
houses of worship. I convened the first-ever White
House Summit on combating hate-fueled violence,
bringing together stakeholders from around the country
to reaffirm that nobody should fear going to a
religious service, wearing a symbol of their faith, or
simply being who they are. And I established a new
interagency group to counter antisemitism,
Islamophobia, and related forms of bias and
discrimination within the United States.
The United States is standing up for the rule of law
around the world. We will continue to marshal security,
humanitarian, and economic support for Ukraine as they
defend themselves against Russia's unjust war, which
[[Page 27682]]
is also an attack on the bedrock principle of
sovereignty. To support democracy worldwide, I cohosted
the second Summit for Democracy in March, bringing
together government, civil society, and private sector
representatives from around the world to promote
transparent and accountable governance, democratic
resilience, and respect for human rights. We must
support free and independent media, fight the
corruption that undermines democratic institutions,
ensure new technology is used to strengthen democracy,
and defend free and fair elections.
The theme of this year's Law Day, ``Cornerstones of
Democracy: Civics, Civility, and Collaboration,''
acknowledges that each of us has a role to play in
defending democracy and the guardrails that make it
possible. It also recognizes that the rule of law
depends on us seeing one another not as enemies but as
fellow Americans. This great national experiment only
works if we respect each other's differences, protect
each other's freedoms, and work together to ensure that
``We, the People,'' get to choose our own fate and make
our own future.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, in accordance with Public
Law 87-20, as amended, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2023,
as Law Day, U.S.A. I call upon all Americans 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
twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
seventh.
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(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2023-09540
Filed 5-2-23; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 3, 2023.
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