By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Arizona Supreme Court hosted a statewide Arizona Rule of Law Day on Thursday, in which lawyers reaffirmed their Oath of Admission to practice law in Arizona.
Each Arizona county held its own event, with Graham and Greenlee counties combining at the historic Graham County Courthouse for their event, which was presided over by Graham County Superior Court Judge Michael D. Peterson.
“Retaking the oath helps to raise our level of awareness of the importance of the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of Arizona,” Judge Peterson said. “It was an honor to have this ceremony today with the local bar members recommit to the rule of law and the principles embodied in the Constitution.”
The Safford event featured an invocation from The Rev. Devin Scott Gillespie of the All Saints Episcopal Church in Safford, a Rule of Law Address from Greenlee County Attorney Gary W. Griffith, and the Administration of Oath by Greenlee County Superior Court Judge Jeremy O. Ford. The Safford event also included a video presentation from Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Ann A. Scott Timmer
For the duration of the event, the same central theme of following the constitution rather than a person or party rang loud and clear.
“Part of understanding the Rule of Law is that the law applies evenly to everybody,” Griffith said. “This has not always been this way . . . You were basically above the law if you were certain types of people.”
“People in Germany under the Nazi regime took an oath to uphold the Führer – a personal oath. There was a person who they hold their loyalty to. In the U.S., we do not take an oath to anybody. We do not take an oath to a person. We don’t say, ‘I swear I’m going to uphold Gov. Katie Hobbs.’ We don’t take an oath saying, ‘I swear loyalty to Donald Trump.’ We don’t do that. But we do take a loyalty oath, and we swear allegiance to the Constitution.”
“We took our oath of loyalty not to a specific group or specific individual but to the constitution,” Graham County Attorney L. Scott Bennett said. “The constitution is the ultimate supreme law of the United States, and it reminds not only us but everyone who is aware of today’s event that that is where our loyalty lies. And that our duty, our responsibility, our obligation as attorneys is to uphold and protect the constitution of the United States.”
After the oath was administered, those present paused for a group photo and then enjoyed a luncheon hosted by the local Bar Association for the attorneys and judges.
