More than 200 attorneys packed a courtroom at King County Superior Court on Thursday, May 1—joining colleagues across the country in a nationwide Law Day event to reaffirm their commitment to the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. The gathering in downtown Seattle was part of a coordinated “Law Day of Action,” organized by the American Bar Association and state bar groups in response to what legal professionals are calling growing threats to judicial independence and the legal profession itself. King County Superior Court Presiding Judge Ketu Shah led the oath ceremony inside the courthouse’s Presiding Courtroom at noon.

“That so many legal professionals will join me in affirming our roles as guardians of the rule of law and the independent judiciary is heartening,” Shah said. “It shows that attacks on judges for unpopular rulings and political pressure on legal professionals will not deter us. We will keep the promise we made when we became lawyers: to ensure the United States is a place where no one is above the law.” Thursday’s ceremony drew attorneys from a wide range of legal backgrounds—lawyers from the state Attorney General’s Office, private practice, and public defense offices stood together to recite the oath many of them first took years—or even decades—ago.

The Seattle event was one of dozens held statewide and nationwide, from Olympia and Los Angeles to Washington, D.C.. Participants said the act of retaking the oath was both a symbolic and practical reminder of their duty to the Constitution—not to any political party or officeholder.