Strengthening and supporting the federal legal system is the primary mission of the Federal Bar Association. The theme of this year’s Law Day invites us to celebrate the document that is widely credited with first recognizing some of the most fundamental tenets of our criminal justice system, including the acknowledgement of individual liberty and the right to trial by jury. We approach this task at a very important time, when many courts are developing programs which re-evaluate the way that certain types of criminal offenders are handled.
The U.S. Supreme Court long ago observed:
