APRIL 2025 | 67 THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL due process; and most tellingly, entitlement to the common law of England and to the principles of the English constitution, i.e., the Magna Carta. According to Justice William Brennan: The first eight amendments to our Federal Constitution, our explicit Bill of Rights, owes its parentage to Magna Carta; and Americans regard the enforcement of those amendments as the Supreme Court’s most important and demanding responsibility.1 Specifically, a portion of the Fifth Amendment to our Constitution – “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, ... nor shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law” – seems to echo Chapter 39 of the Magna Carta. Even though King John repudiated the Magna Carta shortly after its creation in 1215, the Great Charter was revised and reissued in 1217 and again in 1297. Even so, 1215 is remembered and celebrated as the birth of the Magna Carta, which is considered by many to be a predecessor or precursor of our U.S. Constitution. This brings us to the theme of our 2025 celebration of Law Day: “The Constitution’s Promise: Out of Many, One.” The preamble to the Constitution boldly asserts that the framers established the Constitution as representatives of “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union.” The American Bar Association has suggested, and our association has concurred, that Law Day this year will be a celebration and a reminder that: “The Constitution establishes a framework for government that unites us as one citizenry, through means such as our representative government, jury service, and a regular Census. And through this commitment to our Union, we each provide for the common good through government responses to national crises and natural disasters, and through community and advocacy programs for students and adults.” Our hardworking OBA Law Day Committee and its co-chairs, Ed Wunch and Mary Clement, have planned a great event this year! Please help the committee make this Law Day one of the best ever by and through your personal involvement in the planned activities (and through encouraging citizens with whom you have contact to be involved as well). Visit www.okbar.org/lawday to learn more. Thank you for your service! This article was adapted from content that was originally published in the April 2015 issue of the Tulsa Lawyer. ENDNOTE 1. 1985 Rededication Speech at the American Bar Association’s Memorial at Runnymede.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTk3MQ==