Page 20 - Pierce County Lawyer - July August 2025

TACOMA-
PIERCE
COUNTY
LAW DAY 2025
IMAGE & PRESENTATION BY
Judge Lizanne Padula and Jesse Owens
ARTICLE BY
Judge Dee Sonntag, Tacoma Municipal Court
Law Day, held annually on May 1, is a day set aside
nationally to celebrate the rule of law. Law Day provides
an opportunity to understand how the law and the
legal process protect our liberty, strive to achieve justice, and
contribute to the freedoms that all Americans share.
The Preamble to the Constitution boldly asserts that the framers
established the Constitution as representatives of “We the
People, in Order to Form a More Perfect Union.” On this Law
Day, we explored and renewed our duties to one another under
the Constitution and our democratic norms. 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. 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.
The 2025 American Bar Association’s Law Day theme was “The
Constitution’s Promise: Out of Many, One.” The Constitution
enshrines our collective responsibility to one another, and the
2025 Law Day theme urged us to take pride in a Constitution
that bridges our differences to bring us together as a united
nation. Our civic lives tie us together as one “We,” whether
through legislative efforts that serve the common good, through
military service, or by working together, every day, to fulfill the
promise of “E pluribus unum”, or “Out of many, one.”
Since its first appearance on July 4, 1776, the date the
Declaration of Independence was signed, the phrase “E Pluribus
Unum” has become America’s de facto motto. Now, almost 250
years later, “Out of Many, One” is the focus and theme of Law
Day 2025. The American Bar Association uses this occasion to
review our commitment to this concept as a unifying core of
our democratic values and respect for the rule of law.
At a time when some question America’s standing as a nation
of immigrants and our intentions and ability to fulfill our
responsibilities under international law with respect to those
fleeing persecution, it is important to recall the concept of “E
Pluribus Unum” as one of our nation’s founding principles that
even predates America’s existence. Every day, public education
animates E Pluribus Unum. Free public education grew out
of an emerging national consensus in the 1800s that children
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belonged in the classroom, not the factory floor or mine. While
age requirements and offerings vary from state to state and
community to community, public education ensures that young
people of varying backgrounds and experiences emerge as
informed adults who are ready to engage in college, careers and
civic life.
Without ignoring the historical, demographic, and ideological
differences that exist in America, uniting behind our shared
values makes us resilient and even stronger. It is up to all of us,
particularly through law and education, to carry forward the
founding principle of “E Pluribus Unum”.
In Pierce County, this year our teams went out to 10 Pierce
County High Schools for Law Day presentations. We went
to Bethel High School, Challenger High School, Curtis High
School, Lincoln High School, Oakland High School, Orting
High School, Silas High School, SOTA High School, Stadium
High School, and Willie Stewart Academy.
We shared the history and foundation of “E Pluribus Unum”,
discussed the official v. the unofficial motto of the United States,
we talked about our core values, how we can choose unity, and
the responsibilities we have as part of the many that becomes
one. Our students were thoughtful, engaged, and asked great
questions.
MEET OUR TACOMA-PIERCE COUNTY LAW DAY COMMITTEE:
Left to Right: Neil Stubbs, Amity Bjork, Judge Dee Sonntag,
Commissioner Pedro Chou, Commissioner Randall Hansen,
Judge André M. Peñalver, Patrick Brown, and Jessica Campbell
Not Pictured: Judge Lizanne Padula, Judge Karl Williams,
and Riley Moos