Middlesex County Bar Association, CT Contact: AnnMarie Cienava, Chairperson, 1997 Law Day Committee Middlesex County Bar Association 600 Plaza Middlesex, Middletown, CT 06457 Activity Summary: On May 1, 1997, judges, political leaders, attorneys, students, parents, teachers and members of the media convened at the Middlesex County Court House to celebrate Law Day 1997. Members of the judiciary offered remarks. Attorneys who participated in the Law Works For People Program were recognized. Students selected as winners in the school Poster/Essay/Photography Contests and Mock Trial participants were recognized. Activity Narrative: On May 1, 1997, judges, political leaders, attorneys, students, parents, teachers and members of the media convened at the Middlesex County Court House for the annual Courthouse Ceremony to celebrate Law Day. Presiding Judge Richard Stanley provided opening remarks to a packed courtroom of approximately two hundred people, standing room only. Judge Stanley was followed in his remarks by John J. Carta, president of the Middlesex County Bar Association who discussed the history and meaning of Law Day and the various activities of our Bar Association designed to expand public awareness of our country's laws and legal system. There were seven Superior Court judges in attendance and approximately forty students from throughout the county. The Honorable Maria Madsen Holzbery, mayor of the City of Middletown gave a Law Day Proclamation. Poignant remarks were offered by Judge Elaine Gordon which were illustrated at length in an article appearing in the May 2, 1997 edition of The Middletown Press regarding the experiences of her mother, an immigrant Jew, who fled Nazi Germany in search of the freedoms which the United States of America guaranteed. The speech by Judge Gordon was especially relevant to this years' Law Day theme "Celebrate Your Freedom." During the Ceremony, the forty-three attorneys who participated in the Law Works For People Program, a statewide voluntary pro bono program, were recognized. The Chairperson of the Law Day Committee explained the Program and its significance to the many members of the public and media in attendance. Students selected as winners in the School Essay, Poster and Photography Contests and Mock Trial participants were awarded certificates and Law Day T-Shirts. In addition, the winner of the Grade School Essay Contest read her essay about Rosa Parks and her struggle in the Civil Rights movement. All winning entries in each of the categories were on display in the Courthouse. At this ceremonial event, the culmination of the various activities in Middlesex County to celebrate Law Day 1997, members of the public of all ages gained a better understanding of the impact of our legal system on our lives, and how laws protect our individual liberties. The comments of Judge Gordon, most notably, captured the entire audience fostering a deep appreciation of those in attendance for the freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution which, as she recognized, are so often taken for granted. It is certain that the youngest of the students present understood Judge Gordon's message and was moved by it. Sample Programs Home | By Audience | By Location | By Sponsoring Organization