May 1, 2025 — CJI Board chair Thor Nelson helped commemorate Law Day today with a brief speech at a rally held at the Denver City and County Building. Law Day is an annual commemoration held on May 1st to celebrate the rule of law and cultivate a deeper understanding of the legal system.
After briefly introducing CJI and its mission, Nelson spoke about the role and importance of the rule of law.
"The rule of law is not a partisan issue," he said. "Indeed, the rule of law is something that matters only if it is applied to everyone, regardless of whether you are in the minority or majority or hold a popular or unpopular opinion."
Nelson then shared perspectives about the rule of law from two eminent jurists.
Quoting Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, he said "Commitment to the rule of law provides a basic assurance that people can know what to expect, whether what they do is popular or unpopular at the time.”
Nelson then quoted Chief Justice John Roberts from his opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee. "President Ronald Reagan used to speak of the Soviet constitution, and he noted that it purported to grant wonderful rights of all sorts to people. But those rights were empty promises, because that system did not have an independent judiciary to uphold the rule of law and enforce those rights. We do, because of the wisdom of our founders and the sacrifices of our heroes over the generations to make their vision a reality.”
Separately, CJI issued an official statement in support of the rule of law. Read it here.
CJI is an independent, non-partisan nonprofit that promotes excellence, equity, impartiality, and public trust in Colorado's courts. Thor Nelson joined the CJI Board in May 2022 and was elected Board chair in May 2024.
