On behalf of the New York State Bar Association, I congratulate all of today’s honorees of the Judith S. Kaye Service Awards. All of you, in your own understated manner, represent our democracy’s greatness and the judicial system that protects it. Thank you for your service and selfless dedication to the people of New York State.
I am so happy to be here on behalf of our association’s 55,000 members to celebrate Law Day with you.
We are steeped in history.
The Court of Appeals building where we are gathered today has a noble past. The level of respect we in the legal profession have for the court and this building is unmatched. It symbolizes that we are part of a proud tradition and members of a distinguished profession.
Law Day offers us a chance to step aside from our busy schedules and reflect on our purpose as attorneys. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the responsibility and the power of a committed citizenry.
Our obligations include speaking out not only because it is our right but because it is our duty as proud Americans and New Yorkers. More importantly, we need to act so that our democracy may operate at its fullest capacity.
As lawyers, we have a role to play in ensuring and promoting the rule of law, as well as imparting knowledge to all citizens on how they may best amplify their own voices and participate in our democratic processes. This is especially true for our youth because they are our most vulnerable citizens and are our future leaders.
The New York State Bar Association is committed to doing just that.
Part of our mission is to educate and inform the public, and that is why we are hosting our second Civics Convocation in October. We are grateful for Chief Judge Wilson’s support of the Convocation. Its focus will be on Media Literacy. Young people today are growing up surrounded by digital media — from traditional outlets to social media and gaming platforms — that bombard them with misinformation and purposely limit their access to balanced news reporting.
Students must learn how to identify these biases. They need to know how to verify facts and how to evaluate sources. Outfitting students with the tools to critically understand the modern media landscape is more critical than ever at a time when misinformation disguised as fact continues to permeate their social media feeds and thus further influences their thought processes.
The New York State Bar Association also has a role to play in protecting our judges because any threat to our judiciary imperils its independence and impacts our democracy.
In addition, such threats are an affront to the separation of powers. They erode the checks and balances that the framers of our Constitution so clearly crafted. This is not a partisan issue. For democracy to work, judges need to be free to decide cases and issues without fear for their safety or that of their families.
Without such efforts, the ideas of spirited debate and a willingness to compromise that characterized the Constitutional Convention nearly 240 years ago will be lost.
It was at that meeting that our Law Day theme, “E pluribus unum” (Out of many, one), first took root.
The 2025 Law Day theme urges us to take pride in the Constitution, mostly because it provides a bridge for our differences and brings us together as a nation. It entrusts us with the shared responsibility of working together for the common good of all people regardless of race, creed or ethnicity.
It is our differences that unite and make us Americans. We live in a country that has more immigrants than any other nation in the world. Our great state of New York is home to its third-highest foreign-born population, which renders it a hub for a multitude of cultural influences.
I am proud to be part of that mosaic as a first-generation Italian American who was raised in a diverse working-class section of Brooklyn by immigrant parents. My friends and neighbors came from different backgrounds, practiced varying religious beliefs and observed distinct cultural holidays. Those shared differences linked us together.
As proud New Yorkers and Americans, we are connected by our desire to live freely under the tenets of the Constitution, including popular sovereignty, the people granting the government’s right to rule, and fundamental individual rights, including freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
These tenets have endured for over two centuries as the foundation for our democratic way of life.
I am reminded of the powerful and eloquent words of Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Let us keep those words in mind as we go forward.
