ASU celebrated the third-annual Constitution Day on Monday, but few students participated in the festivity.
A little more than two dozen people turned out at Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law's Armstrong Hall to honor the 220th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution.
Andy Hessick, a visiting law professor, was one of two guests who presented a lecture at the Monday event.
"I didn't even know it [the Constitution Day celebration] existed until about two weeks ago," Hessick said.
He added that his lecture, which focused on specific Constitutional cases that will be going before the U.S. Supreme Court this term, is the first lecture he has given for the occasion.
Attorney Robert J. McWhirter, the second speaker, presented a history of the Constitution to a nearly empty lecture hall.
McWhirter pointed out that three of the audience members were in his immediate family and two were former high school teachers.
His multimedia lecture focused on the Sixth Amendment, which is the one that guarantees the right "to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury."
This week's presentation marked the third year ASU has celebrated Constitution Day. The U.S. Congress created the holiday in 2004 before President Bush signed the bill into law.
The law requires colleges receiving federal money to teach about the Constitution on or around Sept. 17, the day the document was ratified in 1787.
In addition to presenting the educational lectures, ASU distributed pocket-sized copies of the Constitution.
Brownies and refreshments were also served at the event.
Three first-year law students said they learned about the lecture through an e-mail sent by the college.
However, Brian Braithwaite said he wouldn't have known it was Constitution Day if his roommate hadn't reminded him.
"I think most people's understanding of the Constitution is pretty basic," he added. "It's just the parts that apply to them."
Hessick said he agrees that students' understanding of the document varies widely.
He added that he knew very little about the Constitution until he entered law school.
But Matthew Lahaie, Braithwaite's roommate, said he thinks it's important for everyone to know and understand civics.
"This [lecture] is part of our education and our experience as I see it," Lahaie said. "To try to extract all the experience we can is really important to us. Plus the Constitution is a pretty fab thing."
Reach the reporter at sararh.g.owen@asu.edu.
