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21st TSC, German legal professionals observe Law Day

Photo By Brittany Jones | The 21st Theater Sustainment Command hosted a Law Day celebration with senior German...... read more read more

KAISERSLAUTERN, RHEINLAND-PFALZ, GERMANY

05.09.2018

Courtesy Story

21st Theater Sustainment Command

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – The 21st Theater Sustainment Command hosted a Law Day celebration with senior German officials from the German states of Rheinland-Pfalz and Saarland, May 9, at Armstrong’s Club on Vogelweh Housing Complex.

Maj. Gen. Stephen A. Shaprio, 21st TSC commanding general, hosted the event and provided the keynote speech. Philipp Fernis, Undersecretary of Justice for Rheinland Pfalz, was the German guest of honor for the event.

President Dwight Eisenhower established Law Day in 1958, and is celebrated annually on May 1. The 21st TSC has hosted Law Day celebrations during the month of May for many decades. Senior Army and Air Force judge advocates and German prosecutors and judges in the Kaiserslautern area typically attend the celebrations that are held to help build cooperation between American and German jurists, who routinely work together on important legal issues.

Shapiro thanked his German guests for their close-working relationship with the 21st TSC. He explained that cooperation between American and German legal personnel “is critical to the fair and efficient resolution of criminal and civil matters involving U.S. military personnel.”

“Separation of Powers: Framework for Freedom” marked the theme for 2018 iteration. Fernis explained that this is “a central, if not the most important principle of modern democratic governance.” He pointed out a number of similarities and differences in how separation of powers are defined in the United States Constitution and German Basic Law. He explained that “regardless of how well a constitution is formulated on paper, it has to be filled with life in daily action and constantly defended against its enemies - internally and externally.”

The 21st TSC Law Day celebration provided an opportunity for German and American legal professionals to share information and build on their already strong relationships. The celebration is only one of many German-American events that help to solidify the alliance.