Should Kentucky eliminate references to dueling found in its oath of office? What are your thoughts on this?
I know that a state legislator is proposing its removal and if his bill passes, this same question will be posed in November to Kentucky voters. In the past year, I have twice taken Kentucky’s oath of office; once as a notary, the second time as an attorney. The solemn occasion of admission to practice law is held in the Supreme Court which is located on the second floor of the Capitol in Frankfort; admittedly, there was snickering during the “dueling” references.
Even so, State Sen. Julian Carroll notes that “[i]t is part of the history of this great commonwealth, and I don’t think that we ought to make any changes with respect to the reflection of that history.” What do you think? For more information, read or listen to a great story heard yesterday on NPR’s All Things Considered.
I'm on the fence on this one. On the one hand its pretty antiquated and no one duels these days. But, on the other hand, what if we take it out and everyone starts dueling again? Dueling lawyers would be as unseemly as women wearing pants-suits to court.
I find myself agreeing with Sen. Carroll and not wanting to lose the unique history.