American Bar Association supports Senate resolution to make 2024 the Year of Democracy

 American Bar Association President Mary Smith sent a letter on Thursday to Senate Judiciary Committee leaders Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Charles Grassley (R-IA) strongly supporting S. Res. 333, a bipartisan resolution to designate 2024 as the Year of Democracy and urging the Senate to pass it as soon as possible.

“As you well know, democracy is foundational to American society and the welfare of the American people, yet it is under threat today as never before,” Smith wrote in the letter, adding that “Americans across the political spectrum must work together to fortify our democracy.”

Smith pointed out that lawyers have a critical role to play in bolstering democracy and noted the ABA’s efforts to accomplish that through the establishment of an ABA Task Force for American Democracy, co-chaired by former Judge J. Michael Luttig and former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Charles Johnson and other ABA initiatives to restore confidence in our democratic institutions through protecting the integrity of our election process, ensuring the security of election workers, enhancing civics education and promoting civility and collaboration.

“These priorities are also reflected in the 2024 Law Day theme, “Voices of Democracy,” which encourages Americans to participate in elections by deepening their understanding of the electoral process, discussing issues in honest and civil ways,” Smith wrote in the letter.

For additional information on the ABA Task Force for American Democracy, visit www.americanbar.org/groups/leadership/office_of_the_president/american-democracy.