Rule of Law

"Ours is a government of liberty by, through and under the law. No man is above it, and no man is below it."
- Theodore Roosevelt

People today lack sufficient awareness of or appreciation for this statement. Yet, this is the defining characteristic of our democratic society that has sustained us as a nation, and inspired others around the world. If Americans do not understand and respect the rule of law, what will become of us?

The mission of the Virginia Law Foundation & The Virginia Bar Association Rule of Law Project is to fundamentally change the way students learn about the rule of law as the basis of all of our rights and responsibilities as American citizens.

We must teach our children these lessons so the rule of law will be relevant to them. If we do not, the rule of law as we know it will gradually erode away, and America will no longer be the beacon of hope to the world.

The instructional materials in this website, including "The Law Rules" video on this page, explain the rule of law in terms that are understandable by everyone. These tools give teachers all they need to engage in memorable conversations about the rule of law with their students.

If we all do our part, we can change the world one student at a time.

To download the video to your computer for classroom use, click here. (60mb .exe file) If you are on a Mac, click here. Note: The download will take less than 5 minutes on a high speed connection. After the download, the screen will ask you to select ROLmed.mov. The movie will save to your computer without needing special software. For classroom use, download the video at least 1 day BEFORE the class visitation.

Testimonials

"Thanks again for your work on this project…the outcomes have been truly impressive!"

- H. Alan Seibert
Division Superintendent
Salem City Schools

"I wanted to let you know that the day was tremendous and very successful. I went to six presentations and saw very different lessons at each one. Everyone did a great job. I appreciate all your hard work as well as your vision that enabled EVERY Civics student in the Valley to have a guest speaker … lawyer … in their classroom. That is a HUGE feat! I would hazard a guess to say MAYBE 1/4 of those teachers would normally be able to get a lawyer to visit their classroom. Your dream touched everyone this way."

- Ellen Forbes Copenhaver
Former Social Studies Supervisor, K-12
Roanoke City Public Schools

"It was excellent! Thanks for all your efforts. I have several students who want to study law, and it made their day!"

- Virginia Woodall-Gainey
Teacher
Lucy Addison Middle School

"Carol, Kathleen and I would like to report that the Rule of Law Seminar went well at Northside Middle. After a few (weather-related) schedule issues were worked out, everything ran smoothly. We would love to have the event scheduled again for this fall. Also, I plan on sending each participant/volunteer a thank you card as a token of our appreciation."

- Shirley Pinson Hendricks
Teacher
Northside Middle School

"Thank you again for allowing me to participate in the VBA Rule of Law Project. I enjoyed spending time with the kids. I received a thank you card in the mail today and I was very touched. You mentioned that you plan on branching the project out to other parts of Virginia; please keep me in mind when you do. I would love to offer my assistance. Thanks again!"

- Rajeeve Thakur
1L
Washington and Lee School of Law

"We presented the Rule of Law program to the Lynchburg City Schools. All involved seemed to have a terrific time! We learned a lot about how to do an even better job next year."

- Sharon Eimer
President
Lynchburg Bar Association

The VLF/VBA Rule of Law in action

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

(60mb .exe file)

If you are on a Mac, click here.

Note: The download will take less than 5 minutes on a high speed connection. After the download, the screen will ask you to select ROLmed.mov. The movie will save to your computer without needing special software. For classroom use, download the video at least 1 day BEFORE the class visitation.

Educators and Lawyers:

Teaching Together

• Virginia School Superintendents

• Contacts at Bar Associations Statewide

This partnership among teachers, lawyers and judges provides students with an enriching, interactive experience about the importance of the rule of law in their daily lives and gives them a better understanding of the need to preserve and protect it as the foundation for the rights and freedoms we enjoy. To offer this experience in your area, please contact us. Lawyers and judges in local bar associations will follow up with you to coordinate a project for your schools. Together, we can make a difference to your students, to our community and to our country.

Video testimonial