Celebrating Bill of Rights Day

Chief Judge Bagley visits Forsyth County’s Alliance Academy for Innovation in celebration of Bill of Rights Day.

In celebration of Bill of Rights Day, the Honorable Jeffrey S. Bagley, Chief Judge of the Superior Court for the Bell-Forsyth Circuit, met with students in the Criminal Justice and Legal Services pathways at Forsyth County’s Alliance Academy for Innovation on Monday, December 16, 2019.

Bill of Rights Day is celebrated annually on December 15th, which this year falls on a Sunday, and commemorates the December 15, 1791 ratification of the Bill of Rights—the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.   To celebrate the 228th anniversary of the Bill of Rights, Chief Judge Bagley, students, and faculty at Alliance Academy for Innovation gathered at the school to read the Bill of Rights and discuss the important freedoms it protects.       

Bill of Rights Day was first celebrated in 1941 (on the 150th anniversary of its ratification) after a joint congressional resolution authorized President Franklin D. Roosevelt to issue a proclamation noting the day.  In his proclamation, FDR called on all Americans to observe the day and described the Bill of Rights as “the great American charter of personal liberty and human dignity.”

Judge Bagley and judges all over the state are celebrating Bill of Rights Day with observances coordinated through the Judicial Council/Administrative Office of the Courts.