As a lawyer who brings asbestos lawsuits, I am keenly aware of the rights every American citizen has under the laws of the land and how they protect us. If you have been harmed by asbestos exposure, you can seek justice under the law even if powerful business interests are responsible for causing you that harm. How is that possible? Because we live in a democracy where every vote matters.
In many countries around the world, laws do not protect workers. Factories explode, machinery lack safety features, toxic fumes poison the air. Workers die and their families have no recourse. But here in the United States, we vote. Although we may not vote directly ourselves on asbestos regulations and other environmental and occupational safety issues, we vote for men and women we know will safeguard our health and well-being in Congress. We vote for those who will defend our interests against business interests that would seek to exploit us.
“American Democracy and the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters” was the theme for this year’s May 1 American Law Day initiative established by the American Bar Association.
One of the key reasons this theme was chosen for this year is because we are approaching the 50th anniversaries of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. These remain phenomenal achievements in legislation because they strengthen the right of every eligible
American to vote regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or gender.
Here in Alameda County, California where Kazan Law has practiced asbestos law since 1974, these legislative anniversaries and the ideals they represent are so highly cherished, that the County Board of Supervisors has declared that May will be celebrated as American Law Month.
I believe their spirit is reflected in this statement from the ABA:
One of our most cherished national ideals, expressed eloquently by Abraham Lincoln, is “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” It is a principle enshrined in our Nation’s founding documents, from the Declaration of Independence’s assurance that governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed, to the opening three words of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, “We the People.”