THE 2026 LAW DAY OF ACTION CAMPAIGN:
A NATIONWIDE RECAP
On May 1, 2026, the legal profession returned in force for the second annual National Law Day of Action. From Honolulu to Cedar Rapids, from Buffalo to San Diego, lawyers, judges, and legal advocates stood publicly together at courthouses, plazas, and bar association halls in cities across the country to reaffirm their oath to the Constitution and the rule of law.
What distinguished this year's campaign was not spectacle but depth. Sitting and former judges. State Supreme Court justices. Members of Congress. Bar association presidents. Law school deans. Retired military officers. Thousands of practicing attorneys, across every region and every practice area, standing together.
The Nation of Laws Coalition, with lead support from Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) and the Task Force for American Democracy, coordinated the event nationally, working alongside hundreds of local organizers in the weeks leading up to May 1. A full list of national coalition partners who made the campaign possible can be found here.
A Nationwide Movement
Nationwide Event Highlights include:
Olympia, Washington — 500 attendees at the Washington State Bar Association's Law Day, joined by Chief Justice Debra Stephens and the YMCA Youth Legislature
San Diego, California — 100 attorneys, joined by leaders from the San Diego Superior Court and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California
Cleveland, Ohio — 250 attendees at an event hosted by the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, ACLU, and The City Club of Cleveland
San Francisco, California — 200 attorneys at Federal Plaza, joined by San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — 150 attorneys, including Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Daniel D. McCaffery, hosted by the Philadelphia Bar Association
Buffalo, New York — 300 lawyers and supporters at Niagara Square, joined by former U.S. Attorney Denise O'Donnell
East Moline, Illinois — 141 attorneys, gathered with Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lisa Holder White and Iowa Supreme Court Justice Thomas D. Waterman
Asheville, North Carolina — 100 attendees at a Buncombe County Bar event, joined by retired federal Judge Mark Green
Portland, Maine — 100 attendees, hosted by Maine Lawyers for the Rule of Law and the Maine State Bar Association
And, events brought together lawyers in dozens of additional cities — Sacramento, Atlanta, Honolulu, Detroit, Hartford, Houston, Kansas City, New Orleans, New York, Rochester, Sioux City, and many more.
VOICES FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY
The themes were consistent in every city: lawyers, judges, and legal leaders speaking to what the profession owes to the Constitution, to clients, and to the public.
“We are here to recommit to the oath that we took when we became lawyers… As lawyers, we also have an ethical obligation to support equality under the law, transparency, fairness and consistency, human dignity, and an independent judiciary and legal system.”
“The rule of law is more than an abstract ideal. It is the promise that laws are applied fairly and consistently; that no one is above the law and no one is beneath its protection.”
“When all of us were admitted to the Georgia Bar, some of us many decades ago, we swore to defend the Constitution. So, we’re here today to reaffirm that commitment… It’s comforting to know that there are almost 80 events like this taking place around the country today; we are not alone.”
“Reaffirming the rule of law can kind of seem esoteric and kind of a nebulous concept, but it’s really about celebrating the dignity of the profession and remembering what our highest ethics and values are as attorneys.”
“The rule of law only works when it is applied fairly. It only endures when it is defended. And it only means something when it protects the most vulnerable among us just as surely as it restrains the most powerful.”
DC LAW DAY IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
In Washington, D.C., Lawyers for Good Government produced one of the campaign's flagship events on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, co-sponsored by 14 organizations representing the breadth of the District's legal community.
Traci Feit Love, Founder and Executive Director of L4GG, opened the event with three asks of the legal community: attention, bravery, and commitment. The event featured speakers from across the profession:
Sandy Paik and Ricardo Anzualdua, General Counsels United
Phil Brest, President, American Constitution Society
Representative Glenn Ivey (D-MD)
Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
Barbara Arnwine, founder, Transformative Justice Coalition
The event closed with an oath ceremony led by retired D.C. Superior Court Judge Herbert Dixon, who expanded the oath to include everyone present — not only attorneys, but civil servants, veterans, family members, and members of the public.
“Law Day belongs to everyone. It honors the idea that the rule of law is not the property of any profession, but the shared inheritance of every person who lives under its protection.”
The D.C. event was preceded by a live broadcast hosted by Michael Popok of Legal AF and Charles Jung, immediate past president of the San Francisco Bar Association and co-chair of the Nation of Laws Coalition.
Selected Media Hits
Attorneys reaffirm Constitutional Oath on Law Day - Hawaii News Now
Lawyers Renew Oaths in Law Day at Georgia Supreme Court - Law.Com
Buffalo Lawyers Rally at Niagara Square “Stand Up for Justice: Lawyers Defending Democracy” - The Buffalo Criterion
Oaths to the Constitution: In Boston, lawyers say justice system off course - Worchester Telegram & Gazette
Philly Attys Urged to Uphold Their Oaths at Law Day Event - Law360
A SUSTAINED MOVEMENT
What began in 2025 as a one-day mobilization has, in 2026, become an annual institution within the legal profession. The depth of participation — bar associations, courts, law schools, public defender and district attorney offices, federal bar chapters, affinity bars, and civic organizations standing together — signals that the infrastructure for collective action is stronger this year than it was last.
The challenges that brought lawyers to courthouses on May 1 have not ended. We continue to see executive orders targeting law firms for representing disfavored clients, judges threatened for issuing lawful rulings, court orders treated as optional, and individuals deprived of due process. The legal profession's response is the test of this moment.
To stay engaged year-round, sign up for L4GG's Impact Docket at L4GG.org/LawDay — a weekly newsletter providing concrete actions attorneys and supporters can take to defend the rule of law. We also encourage you to download and share the PDF below from Nation of Law Coalition members regarding actions lawyers can take to defend the rule of law.
We are deeply grateful to every lawyer, judge, advocate, and community member who showed up on May 1. You are the reason this profession is worth defending. We hope to see you again in 2027.