2020: Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Democracy: The 19th Amendment at 100. In 2019-2020, the United States is commemorating the centennial of the transformative constitutional amendment that guaranteed the right of citizens to vote would not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex. American women fought for, and won, the vote through their voice and action.
2019:Free Speech, Free Press, Free Society Focuses on these cornerstones of representative government and calls on us to understand and protect these rights to ensure, as the U.S. Constitution proposes, “the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.”
2018:Separation of Powers: Framework for Freedom Looks at the three branches of United States government – legislative, executive, and judicial, and how Congress, the Presidency, and Supreme Court interact, share power, and serve as a check on the powers of the other branches. 2017 -- The Fourteenth Amendment: Transforming American Democracy Highlighted how the Citizenship, Due Process, and Equal Protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment advanced the fundamental rights of all Americans.
2017: The Fourteenth Amendment: Transforming American Democracy Highlighted how the Citizenship, Due Process, and Equal Protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment advanced the fundamental rights of all Americans.
2016:Miranda: More Than Words Explored criminal justice and human rights in America, and commemorated the 50th anniversary of notable U.S. Supreme Court Case Miranda v. Arizona.
2015:Magna Carta: Symbol of Freedom Under Law Celebrated the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta in 1215, and how the document has become an international symbol of the rule of law and foundation for many basic American rights.
2014:American Democracy and the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters Reflected on the importance of a citizen’s right to vote and the challenges to ensuring that all Americans can participate in our democracy. Also spotlighted the 50th anniversaries of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
2013:Realizing the Dream: Equality for All Marked the 150th anniversary of the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, and the 50th anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Addressed ongoing injustices to basic human rights, including human trafficking.
2012:No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom Underscored the important role of courts in ensuring access to justice and being the cornerstone of a free society. Touched on how budget cuts at the state and local levels could compromise the courts’ ability to keep the wheels of justice turning.
2011:The Legacy of John Adams from Boston to Guantanamo Focused on the legacy of John Adams, the nation’s first lawyer president, and the historical and contemporary role of lawyers in defending the rights of the accused. Also looked at the fundamental principles of the rule of law.
2010:Law in the 21st Century: Enduring Traditions, Emerging Challenges Highlighted some of the challenges and opportunities for the rule of law in the 21st century, noting that law in a global era meant addressing human rights, criminal justice, migration and other issues within and between nations.
2009:A Legacy of Liberty: Celebrating Lincoln's Bicentennial Celebrated the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, and his vision of an America united under the Constitution.
2008:The Rule of Law: Foundation for Communities of Opportunity and Equity Looked at fostering public understanding of the rule of law, its function in society, and how essential the law is to sustaining a free and democratic society.
2007: Liberty Under Law: Empowering Youth, Assuring Democracy
2006: Liberty Under Law: Separate Branches, Balanced Powers
2005: The American Jury: We the People in Action
2004: To Win Equality by Law: Brown v. Board at 50
2003: Celebrate Your Freedom: Independent Courts Protect Our Liberties
2002: Celebrate Your Freedom: Assuring Equal Justice for All
2001: Celebrate Your Freedom: Protecting the Best Interests of Our Children
2000: Celebrate Your Freedom: Speak Up for Democracy and Diversity
1999: Celebrate Your Freedom: The Quest for Equality
1998: Celebrate Your Freedom: Due Process Guarantees
1997: Celebrate Your Freedom: First Amendment Freedoms
1996: The U.S. Constitution: The Original American Dream