Bill > AJR222

Introduced Session

This resolution designates May 1 of each year as "Rule of Law Day" in New Jersey. The rule of law protects against the abuse of power and promotes stability through creating democratic norms where all are equally subject to the law, including the highest-ranking officials, and application of the law is clear, predictable, and consistent. Americans are witnessing the erosion of constitutional rules and democratic norms in the United States as the current presidential administration ignores the courts, bypasses Congress, and rules by executive order. Any action to eliminate checks and balances on executive power, suppress dissent, dismantle the civil service, target marginalized communities, and intensify political divisions in government and among residents violates the constitutional order and democratic norms. The arbitrary dismissal of civil servants will directly impact important government programs that many New Jersey residents and Americans rely upon. The public and communications media must retain the ability to voice dissenting views without fear of retribution. Executive orders targeting certain law firms and individuals who work at those firms represent extreme acts of retribution. People have the right to advance their interests in the courts of law when they have been wronged, and New Jerseyans reject the notion that the U.S. government can seek to twist the scales of justice by punishing lawyers, law firms, or judges for who they represent or how they rule. Efforts to intimidate and undermine the courts and the legal profession are unacceptable and must end. New Jerseyans will not stay silent while there are efforts to remake the legal profession into something that rewards those who agree with the government and punishes those who do not. Americans have always believed in the principle that no one is above the law, not even the President of the United States, and that checks and balances on executive power must remain. Recognizing that the rule of law that supports our democracy and protects against tyranny is being tested, the State encourages the people of New Jersey to reflect upon the impact that the rule of law has had on the quality of their lives and its importance to a functioning democracy. The resolution respectfully asks the Governor to annually issue a proclamation calling upon public officials, residents of the State, and other interested groups to reflect upon their role in protecting the rule of law and rejecting violations of constitutional laws and democratic norms as they observe the day with appropriate activities and programs.

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Ellen Park (D)*, 

Reported out of Assembly Committee, 2nd Reading (on 05/08/2025)

Official Document