Statement on JusticeIt is the mission of the Lafayette Bar Association to serve its members and the community by promoting justice, professional excellence, and fellowship among attorneys and the court.
The Lafayette Bar Association Board of Directors issued the following Statement on Justice and the Rule of Law, which echoes the Association’s mission statement, reminds our members and the community we serve that this Association is mindful of its mission and its enduring principles. More importantly, it acknowledges the rule of law and the oath we, as lawyers, take to uphold it. --- Statement of the Lafayette Bar Association Board of Directors on Justice and the Rule of Law As lawyers, we took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Louisiana, which extend a promise to all citizens of equal protection of the laws. As members of the Lafayette Bar Association, we serve our profession, our members, and our community by promoting justice, professional excellence, respect for the rule of law and fellowship among attorneys and the court. The rule of law is the enduring principle that all persons, institutions, and entities should be governed by and held accountable to laws that are just, publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated. This is a foundational principle of our nation’s Constitution and its declaration that government derives its power from the governed to protect individual liberty. Statement of the FBA Board of Directors on the Rule of Law (September 13, 2018). Recent events have shaken the collective soul of our country and have served as a reminder that systemic bias and continued injustice threatens the very rule of law we swore to uphold. In the days and months ahead we must re-dedicate ourselves to the principle that the rule of law must be viewed both in speech and practice as providing equal protection to all citizens regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other unique attribute. Protecting the rule of law is part of our mission as lawyers. Our association and profession must be thought and action leaders on this topic. Great strides have been made in providing access to justice through our local and state-wide organizations, but more work is required to provide this fundamental right. We are committed to working within our entire community to ensure that the arc of the moral universe bends toward justice. A message from the Lafayette Bar Association Board of Directors (July 21, 2020) |