UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF MAINE
LAW DAY EVENTS – THIS IS JUSTICE!
April 10, 2024
&
April 11, 2024
The United States District Court for the District of Maine is celebrating Law Day with events in April. President Dwight D. Eisenhower established Law Day in 1958 to celebrate the rule of law in a free society. This year's Law Day events will be held on April 10, 2024, at 9:00 a.m. at the Edward Thaxter Gignoux Courthouse in Portland, Maine, and on April 11, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building in Bangor, Maine. The Court invites high school students, college students, and law students to attend an event in person or remotely.
The theme of this year’s events is “This is Justice!” The program will include a mock court proceeding followed by a panel discussion with members of the State and Federal Judiciary, U.S. Probation Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Defender Office, and private practice attorneys. A broad range of topics will be covered including what justice means to our panelists, what each does to advocate for or protect rights, what drew panelists to the law, the distinction between State and Federal courts, the difference between trial and appellate courts, kinds of civil and criminal cases, what an “independent judiciary” means, and why “adversarial legal process” and “civil discourse” are not mutually exclusive terms.