How many know its constitution day?
How many people know today is constitution day? I'm a criminal defense lawyer, and I didn't know it - in fact, I didn't know we have one.
Chief Justice Roberts was interviewed, and not surprisingly said the "coolest thing" about the constitution is the Supreme Court. I'm sure a lot of people would disagree with him, since complaining about the Supreme Court seems to be a popular pastime for all ideologies. Some of the criticism is well deserved, but we should never lose sight of the important role the Supreme Court plays in our system. It is the ultimate arbiter of what the constitution means. They are not dependent on any political party, or popular opinion. In many cases, they are a check on public opinion. You need only look at segregation, and more recently the death penalty, to see how public opinion can go to an extreme.
We should be thankful we have a Supreme Court, and a constitution. At the same time, we should be ashamed at how uninformed the majority of the people are about the constitution. As lawyers, we should bear some of the responsibility; we can do better on educating the public, and our clients. Maybe constitution day is a good day to start.
"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -- lest it come to dominate our lives and interests."
-- Patrick Henry
This is the best description and yes, more attention should be paid to it. This is what keeps us from becoming North Korea or China or some other unsavory place.
And you are correct in that most people do not understand it and have no idea just how important it is to all of us.
I knew it was Constitution Day.
The best way to remember it is to have your rights stomped on and have the Constitution come to your aid and I promise you will love it and celebrate its greatness the rest of your life.