ABA's Law Day 2016 focuses on 'Miranda: More than Words'

The American Bar Association's Law Day events on April 27 and April 28 will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the notable U.S. Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona and the important constitutional principles that inform the Miranda warning. What made Miranda a part of our national culture? At 50, is Miranda experiencing a midlife crisis? How does the public understand and misunderstand, Miranda? What are the consequences? Through and beyond its Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination, what significance does Miranda hold more broadly for our commitment to the rule of law? These questions and others will be the focus of the ABA's Law Day event, the 14th Annual Leon Jaworski Public Program, Thursday, April 28, from 5 7 p.m. at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C. The program is one of many events and activities planned throughout the nation to focus attention on the Law Day 2016 theme, "Miranda: More than Words." The theme explores the constitutional protections of Miranda and explores other constitutional rights that protect American citizens from potential abuses by law enforcement and ensures fair treatment in the criminal justice system. "Law Day provides the opportunity to reflect on the important constitutional principles that inform the Miranda warning," said Paulette Brown, president of the American Bar Association. "At its heart, Miranda stands for the proposition that for our rights to be meaningful, we must be aware of them. And we must remain eternally vigilant to protect against erosions of Miranda that lead to the infringement of our rights." Law Day is a national observance each May 1 to underscore the importance of the rule of law and its influence in our daily lives. ABA National Law Day highlights include: Wednesday, April 27 - Dialogue on Miranda - Nearly 250 high school students from around the nation will discuss the central role Miranda rights, "You have a right to remain silent," play in keeping the nation free. They will discuss the current challenges facing law enforcement and communities across the nation and ways of ensuring the criminal justice system is fair. This is an interactive event. Students will tweet live from the program by using the National Law Day 2016 events hashtag, #ABALawDay. This event is sponsored by the ABA Division for Public Education in partnership with the Close Up Foundation, a nonprofit organization that educates and inspires young people to become informed and engaged citizens. Participants will also post photos on Instagram, using hashtag #abalawday. Featured speakers include ABA President Paulette Brown; National Law Day Subcommittee Chair Lisa Tatum; Standing Committee on Public Education Chair Harry Johnson - Criminal Justice Luncheon - The luncheon celebrates the 50th anniversary of Miranda and highlights the Law Day theme. The roundtable discussion about criminal justice reform will include nearly 30 of the nation's foremost criminal justice experts. Representatives from the organized bar, courts, law enforcement and advocacy groups will discuss the propensity for fairness in the criminal justice system, reform and the impact of language, practice and technology on the public's trust in the justice system. This event is held in cooperation with the Criminal Justice Section. Featured speakers include ABA President Paulette Brown; ABA Criminal Justice Section Chair Judge Bernice Donald (via video) Additional speakers include Cabell Cropper, executive director, National Criminal Justice Association and Chief Anthony Holloway, St. Petersburg (Fla.) Police Department and Marc Mauer, executive director, The Sentencing Project - Law Library of Congress interview with Paulette Brown - The Law Librarian of Congress Roberta I. Shaffer will interview Paulette Brown, president of the American Bar Association, about the significance of the 1966 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Miranda v. Arizona. (This program is sponsored by the Law Library of Congress.) Thursday, April 28 - Breakfast with High School Teachers - More than 75 teachers from around the nation will share ideas about the relevance of Miranda. Law Day is a vibrant part of the civic education in our nation. Therefore, teachers will receive Miranda toolkits, which contain resources to help engage students in an ongoing dialogue about Miranda. This event is conducted in cooperation with the Close Up Foundation. Teacher resources on Miranda can be found here or www.LawDay.org Featured speakers include ABA President Paulette Brown; Tim Davis, CEO and president of Close Up Foundation; ABA President-Elect Linda Klein; Bryan Stevenson, National Law Day chair and executive director, Equal Justice Initiative - The Leon Jaworski Public Program - Panelists will discuss "Miranda: More Than Words." This event is sponsored by the ABA Division for Public Education in conjunction with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and is open to the public. ABA President Paulette Brown will preside. Moderator is John Milewski, director of digital programming at the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars. Speakers include Russell Dean Covey, professor of law at Georgia State University College of Law; Angela J. Davis, professor of law at American University Washington College of Law; Yue Ma, associate professor, Department of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York; and Ronald C. Machen, partner at WilmerHale and former U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Published: Wed, Apr 27, 2016