SCR66 - Law Day.

Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 66 CHAPTER 150 Relative to Law Day. [ Filed with Secretary of State July 18, 2025. ] LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SCR 66, Umberg. Law Day. This measure would, among other things, declare that using executive orders to silence opposition and chill legal advocacy is an unlawful attack on the right of Americans to seek counsel and would designate May 1 as Law Day to not only commemorate the importance that law plays in California but to stand in solidarity with the legal community. Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO Bill Text WHEREAS, Law Day is an annual celebration to commemorate the rule of law and to learn about our legal system; and WHEREAS, Law Day was introduced by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958 as a national dedication to law in government; and WHEREAS, In 1959, Congress dedicated May 1 as Law Day; and WHEREAS, Across the country, bar groups, courts, schools, youth groups, and community organizations conduct Law Day programs to highlight the importance of law and its critical role in our society; and WHEREAS, Normally, the President of the United States issues a proclamation on May 1 recognizing the importance of the rule of law; and WHEREAS, However, the legal profession is under unprecedented attack from the current President with a series of executive orders and actions in an attempt to silence opposition to his administration; and WHEREAS, On February 25, 2025, President Trump directed the United States Attorney General and other agencies to revoke security clearances of Covington & Burling LLP for their assistance of former Special Counsel Jack Smith; and WHEREAS, Between March and April of 2025, President Trump signed executive orders targeting Perkins Coie LLP (Perkins), Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP (“Paul Weiss”), Jenner & Block LLP (“Jenner”), Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (“WilmerHale”), and Susman Godfrey LLP (Susman); and WHEREAS, These executive orders, which revoked their security clearances, denied them access to federal buildings, and terminated government contracts, were issued on the flimsy pretext of the law firms’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and providing representation or assistance to political enemies of President Trump; and WHEREAS, President Trump has callously and cynically used the powers of the presidency to deter attorneys from representing clients in immigration cases and deny these clients their rightful representation in court; and WHEREAS, President Trump has weaponized federal agencies, including the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), to persecute firms with DEI policies, including Morrison Foerster LLP and Cooley LLP; and WHEREAS, President Trump is using executive orders to browbeat law firms, including Paul Weiss, into coercive deals; and WHEREAS, President Trump has called for the impeachment of judges who, in upholding the rule of law, have ruled against him and his interests; and WHEREAS, In response to this brazen attack on the legal community, firms are resisting the unlawful executive orders in court at great risk to their survival; and WHEREAS, Perkins, Jenner, WilmerHale, and Susman have filed lawsuits challenging the executive orders targeting them and other unlawful executive actions; and WHEREAS, California-born law firms, including Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, and Cooley LLP have filed lawsuits challenging unlawful executive actions; and WHEREAS, Hundreds of law firms, including California-born firms such as Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP, Fenwick & West LLP, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, and Hanson Bridgett LLP have signed amici briefs in support of the suing law firms; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That using executive orders to silence opposition and chill legal advocacy is an unlawful attack on the right of Americans to seek counsel; and be it further Resolved, That using the office of the presidency as a bludgeon against those who uphold the law and disagree with the President’s position is not only an attack on the legal system but an attack on the rule of law; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature designates May 1 as Law Day to not only commemorate the importance that law plays in California but to stand in solidarity with the legal community; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.